Legend of Zelda: The Lightning Warrior
by pikaace
Summary: When a strange mark on Pikachu's paw takes her to the land of Hyrule, she discovers that she is the legendary Lightning Warrior. Now she must team up with Link and his friends to destroy an evil force that threatens Hyrule, but at what cost?
1. Chosen by the Gods?

Chapter 1

A gentle gust of wind blew through a large grassy field while a flock Swablu and Altaria flew through the clear blue sky. Indeed, it was a very beautiful spring day in the World of Pokémon. A small yellow Pokémon, followed by a small blue Pokémon, ran through the field. They jumped around, tackled and chased each other; it was a very playful morning for Pikachu and her best friend Riolu.  
>The two continued to play in the field until they ran off to the Tiny Woods nearby. The two Pokémon slowed to a walk as they came to a large pond. They sat down in the shade of a large tree and soaked their feet in the cold water. Pikachu opened a bag she had draped around her shoulder and pulled out two ripe apples. She handed one to Riolu and the two began to talk about their training while they watched groups of Poliwag and Wooper splash around in the water.<p>

"By the way," Riolu eventually asked. "Have you figured out what that mark on your paw is?"

Pikachu looked at the back of her right paw where a strange symbol was etched on her skin. It was the shape of two bolts of lightning pointing down with the tips just touching each other at the bottom forming a V-like shape.

Pikachu shook her head. "No. My parents don't know anything either. They said it was already there when I was born."

Riolu looked at the mark and shrugged. "Maybe it's just a birthmark." He said.

"Maybe," Pikachu said. "But none of my ancestors are said to have had this mark. That's why I think it's special in some way."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually." Riolu said with a tinge of confidence in his voice.

Pikachu smiled. She had to admire Riolu's determined nature.

"By the way, for a while, I've been having the same weird dream," Pikachu said. "I'm always in a bright empty room, I'm alone for a while, but then the mark on my paw starts glowing and I see two figures coming toward me from the light; a boy and a girl,"

Riolu frowned. "Were they Pokémon?" he asked.

Pikachu stared at her reflection in the water. "No, I'm sure they were humans." She said slowly.

No Pokémon had ever seen a human with their own eyes. They were said to live in a world different from Pokémon. Some Pokémon believed humans were dangerous creatures since they were different, but there were some who longed to see humans and what they were really like.

Riolu looked thoughtful, "Did they do anything to you?" he asked.

"No. They always just walk toward me and then reach out to me," Pikachu paused for a minute, "Also; the backs of both of their left hands are glowing too."

Riolu thought for a minute and then spoke up, "My father says that when someone has a dream like that repeatedly, it means something will happen,"

"You think this dream means something will happen?" Pikachu asked.

Riolu's father, Lucario was a very wise and respected Pokémon. He was known for his knowledge of the aura and the spirits of Pokémon.

Riolu nodded. He leaned back and looked at the clear blue sky, "My father said that some dreams are visions of the future or a sign that something big is coming."

Pikachu looked back at the mark on her paw. "Do you think these dreams and whatever's coming is related to this mark?" She asked.

"I can't say for sure, but it's a likely possibility." He said, looking back at her.

The two Pokémon stayed at the lake until sunset. They said their good-bye's and headed home. That night, as Pikachu lay in her bed, she thought about her recent dreams.

'In my dreams, those two humans always reached out to me. It was like they wanted something,' She thought. 'Maybe this time, I should try to talk to them; maybe that will give me a clue to what this all means.'

She stretched and yawned. She curled up in her soft bed, and drifted off to sleep. A few hours later, she opened her eyes. She was no longer lying in her bed in her house, but in a bright empty room. She was in her dream again. Pikachu looked at the mark on her paw as it was beginning to glow. She looked up and saw the two figures walking slowly toward her. She could only see their silhouettes, but she knew it was the same humans from before. They continued to walk closer and Pikachu finally called out to them,

"Who are you?" she asked. The two figures stopped. Very slowly, Pikachu could begin to make out what they really looked like. They looked to be about twenty years old or younger.

The girl spoke up first, "I am Zelda, princess of the land of Hyrule." She had long brown hair, dark brown eyes and pointy ears. She wore a small tiara atop her head, a beautiful white dress with a magenta stripe down the middle, purple shoes, and long white gloves.

The boy then spoke his name, "I am Link, the Hero of Time." The boy also had brown hair and pointy ears, but his eyes were a deep blue. He wore a green tunic, a long green hat, white pants and brown gloves and boots. On his back, Pikachu saw what looked like a sword and a large shield.

"Are you humans?" Pikachu asked.

"Yes." Zelda answered simply.

Pikachu stared at them, with her jaw dropped and eyes wide. "I'm sorry if I stare, but I've never seen humans so beautiful or so handsome before." She said.

Both the humans smiled. It was true, she had seen pictures and heard descriptions, but never known that humans could look so amazing.

"Well, I'm Pikachu. I'm a mouse Pokémon from the Pokémon world. I wanted to ask you something," Pikachu took a deep breath, "Why do you keep appearing in my dreams?" she asked.

Link and Princess Zelda looked at each other, "We were going to ask you the same thing," Link said.

Zelda knelt down in front of Pikachu, "May I see your paw?" she asked.

Pikachu nodded slowly and held out her right paw with the mark facing up. With gentle hands, Zelda took it and examined the mark closely. Then, she held out her left hand which had a strange mark as well. It was the shape of a triangle with an upside-down triangle inside. The right corner of the triangle was glowing. Pikachu looked at Link, who held up his left hand revealing the same mark as Zelda, but the left corner was glowing,

"It seems we all have been brought here for the same reason," Zelda said.

"Do you know what this mark means?" Pikachu asked.

Link knelt down beside Zelda and looked at Pikachu's mark. "It must be a sign that you have been chosen by the gods." He said.

Before Pikachu could ask for an answer, the room lit up brighter than before. The solid floor disappeared and the three seemed to be floating in nothingness. After a while, they were surrounded by a diamond-like shaped capsule and a platform appeared below them and they gently landed. As the capsule around them disappeared, Pikachu noticed that the platform bore the same mark as Link and Zelda.

"Welcome to the Chamber of Sages." A voice boomed. The three looked up to see a man standing in front of them on a golden platform marked with a strange symbol. Pikachu looked around and saw more figures that stood around them in a circle. Each one stood on a different color platform with a different symbol.

'This can't be a dream. It's all too real,' Pikachu thought as she shifted uncomfortably. 'Could I really be in a different place that's not in my head?'

"I am Rauru; one of the ancient sages of Hyrule." The man said.

"It's been too long Rauru." Link said.

Pikachu looked up at him, "You know him?" she asked.

"Long story," Link answered.

Rauru looked down at Pikachu. "I welcome you to Hyrule; Lightning Warrior." He said. Link and Zelda looked down at Pikachu with surprised looks on their faces. Pikachu, on the other hand, was getting more confused.

"Lightning Warrior?" she asked.

"It is an ancient tale passed down through generations," Rauru answered. "The mark you bear proves that you are the reincarnation of the true Lightning Warrior."

Pikachu looked at her paw. "Wait, this is all too much to take in. What is this Lightning Warrior?" she asked.

"I will tell you the tale. No; before that I must tell you the legend of the sacred realm." With that, Rauru told Pikachu about the Triforce and how each piece chose a single being to rest within, such as Link and Zelda. Pikachu listened intently, and when the story was over she asked,

"How does this story connect with the Lightning Warrior?"

"Many years, after the Triforce was created, a Dark being swept into the sacred realm. It wished to consume the power of the Triforce and shroud the sacred realm in darkness and evil. The Dark being influenced a piece of the Triforce and chaos began to surround the sacred realm. The Triforce, with its remaining power, managed to protect itself for a time. But the darkness eventually broke through. It was then however that a large bolt of lightning struck the ground between the darkness and the Triforce. A single being then emerged from the lighghtning. It challenged the dark being, but knew it could not win the battle alone. The two beings fought viciously and both became quite weakened. The being of lightning then used the last of its energy to add its power to the Triforce. Together, they managed to destroy the darkness and return the missing piece of the Triforce to the light. Peace returned to the sacred realm and the being of lighting returned to the heavens, leaving behind a hidden mark on the Triforce, which is the mark you bear now."

Pikachu stood with her eyes wide at the amazing story. This was so much to absorb.

"This tale is told and believed by few," Rauru said, snapping Pikachu back to reality. "But the legend must live again, for the darkness has returned and threatens the Triforce once again."

"By darkness, do you mean Ganondorf?" Link asked.

"Yes and no," Rauru answered, "The sages and I believe that the darkness has returned to the sacred realm and influenced the Triforce of Power by taking control of Ganondorf himself."

"Wait, wait, wait; I'm not following this at all," Pikachu broke in, "Who's Ganondorf and why is he in the sacred realm of all places?"

This time Link spoke up, "Ganondorf is an evil man who wishes to rule Hyrule; he stole the Triforce of Power and threatened the entire kingdom many years ago."

Pikachu's eyes widened, "What happened?" she asked.

"Ganondorf was eventually stopped by Link, since he is the reincarnation of the Hero of Time. Once he was defeated I used my power and that of the six sages to seal Ganondorf away into the sacred realm." Zelda explained.

Link looked up at Rauru, "If Ganondorf has returned, I will do all in my power to stop him before he does anything to Hyrule." Link said.

"I will help as well." Zelda said.

Rauru smiled. "I hoped to hear that from you both, the quest is yours to complete."

Link and Zelda nodded.

"But I should warn you now; you will not be able to defeat Ganondorf alone. The darkness that influences him has made him so strong that even the Master Sword and the Light Arrows together will not have enough power to dispel the darkness." Rauru said.

"What should we do?" Zelda asked.

"Pikachu," Rauru said, looking down on the small Pokémon. "You must help Link and Zelda defeat Ganondorf. Only if you fight side by side will you overcome the evil the darkness holds. When the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage combine their powers with the power of Lightning, the darkness will disappear forever and the Triforce of Power will be brought back to the light." Rauru said.

Pikachu stood in silence. "Alright, I will help." Pikachu said and turned to Link and Zelda. "Princess Zelda and Link, I promise that I will do all I can to help you defeat this dark one."

Link and Zelda smiled. "We promise to do the same." Link said.

"Very good," Rauru said smiling. "Then you must go now. We six sages will send you to the Temple of the Tempest. The darkness has already influenced the temple and has filled it with dangers. If you can weaken the darkness there, you can destroy it before it grows more powerful."

All of the sages raised their hands and an orb of light appeared between the hands of each sage. The orbs grew brighter and the light enveloped Link, Zelda, and Pikachu.

"Good luck." Rauru said just as the three vanished from view.


	2. The Temple of the Tempest

Chapter 2

Pikachu opened her eyes and found her, Link and Zelda standing outside an enormous temple made of stone. They seemed to be in the middle of nowhere and night had already fallen as a full moon lit their way.

'This is definitely not a dream.' Pikachu thought.

"Zelda, you stay out here with Pikachu, I'm going in." Link said.

"Will you be alright by yourself?" Pikachu asked.

Link smiled. "I've done this before, it won't be any problem. In the meantime, I need you to guard Zelda in case any of Ganondorf's minions come and attack."

Pikachu nodded with confidence.

"Good luck." Zelda said. Link then turned and entered the Temple of the Tempest. Pikachu and Zelda waited for what seemed like hours; Pikachu hoped Link was alright. A shuffle of footsteps from behind them snapped Pikachu out of her trance. She jumped up, sending sparks from her cheeks while Zelda got to her feet. Five large figures emerged into the moonlight. They wielded large swords and thick metal shields, they wore armor like warriors, but to Pikachu's shock, they were skeletons!

"Hurry and seize the princess!" One of them said gruffly. "We must catch the Hero of Time!"

Pikachu got into a fighting stance. "That's not going to happen!" she said sharply.

She quickly launched herself into a Skull Bash and shattered the first skeleton. She recovered from her attack and launched her Iron Tail, smashing the head of another skeleton into pieces. The second one fell to the ground while the first one quickly rebuilt itself in a whirlwind of sand. Pikachu used Iron Tail again to break the head of the rebuilt one and turned just in time to see one advancing toward Zelda while the other two ran up the stairs toward the entrance of the temple. Pikachu launched her Thunder Wave and restrained the two skeletons on the stairs; she then used Agility to block the path of the skeleton in front of Zelda. The skeleton raised his sword to strike, but Pikachu was ready. She extended her paws in front of her as her eyes lit up yellow. Her Light Screen created a golden box around her and Zelda. The sword bounced off the box, but Pikachu felt a slight pain in her head from where the sword would have hit. Pikachu felt as if someone had smacked her upside the head. Pikachu released the Light Screen, sprang foreword and used her Iron Tail to slice right across the skeletons' body making him burst into pieces.

"Stay here." Pikachu told Zelda as she ran up the stairs to the temple entrance where the last two skeletons were struggling to break free of her Thunder Wave. She jumped above them, curled into a ball, and activated her Iron Tail. With a sickening crunch, the two skeletons were immediately smashed to pieces.

Pikachu ran back toward Zelda. "Are you alright?" Pikachu asked.

"Yes," Zelda said nodding, "Are you?" she asked.

Pikachu nodded, "I'll be fine."

Suddenly, a huge explosion came from nowhere. Pikachu and Zelda looked at the temple to see the roof of the temple be blown off by an enormous pillar of darkness.

"Link!" Zelda cried.

"C'mon!" Pikachu yelled. Pikachu and Zelda ran through the temple until they were inside a large round room. They looked in horror as an enormous mutated butterfly emerged from the dark pillar as it disappeared. It had large black wings and its two eyes were made up of thousands of more eyes. Pikachu then spotted Link leaning against the wall.

Pikachu and Zelda ran up to him. "Link, are you alright?" Pikachu asked.

Link nodded, "I'll be fine." He got to his feet and got ready to fight. Pikachu led Zelda to a large piece of stone that had fallen off the temple and they hid there. They watched from their spot as Link fought the giant monster. Pikachu watch in amazement, Link was more skilled than he looked. The fight continued on until the giant butterfly stopped attacking suddenly. Link lowered his sword ever so slightly wondering what was going on. Pikachu was confused too. The monster was looking at Link like it was trying to anticipate his next move, but an eerie feeling crept up Pikachu's spine, like they were being watched. Pikachu looked around the room, no one was in sight. Her ears then twitched and her instincts screamed at her. She looked back at the monster and something caught her eye. One of the butterfly's many eyes was looking at them, but not just at them, it was looking directly at Zelda.

"Zelda! Run!" Pikachu cried.

Zelda looked confused. "What?" she asked.

Pikachu nudged Zelda's legs a bit with her head. "Don't ask; just get away from here now!" Pikachu cried.

The monster flapped its large wings and faced Zelda entirely. It only had one thing on its mind: to capture the Princess Zelda. Zelda began to run and the butterfly zoomed after her. Pikachu and Link chased the butterfly until they found themselves outside the temple. They exited just in time to see the giant butterfly swoop down and grab Zelda with its many arms.

"No!" Pikachu cried.

"Zelda!" Link cried.

The two gave chase as Zelda desperately tried to free herself. They ran until the desert seemed to become a rough terrain that soon became a jungle. Link tried to hit the butterfly with his arrows but the monster was too fast. Pikachu wanted to use an electric attack, but it was too risky; she could hit Zelda by accident.

They ran through the jungle-like area when a flaming arrow narrowly missed Pikachu's ear. They screeched to a stop and looked behind them. Small green creatures with red eyes and covered faces began to shoot arrow after arrow at Link and Pikachu. The plants and trees eventually caught fire and smoke clouded the air making it difficult to breathe. They had no choice but to keep running. Link bent down away from the smoke, but Pikachu took in a large breath of smoke and fell to the ground coughing hard. Every breath she took brought more smoke into her system. She couldn't breathe at all.

"Pikachu, are you alright?" Link asked kneeling next to her.

"Yeah," Pikachu said her voice hoarse and eyes watering. Link scooped up Pikachu and kept running. Finally, the jungle area ended and they were out in the open. Pikachu breathed in the clean air and felt her strength returning. Link felt immense relief as he saw the color coming back to her face. She peeked over Link's shoulder to see that the green creatures were now giving chase riding giant warthogs. Link then pulled a small horseshoe shaped object from around his neck. He blew into it and played a small tune. There was a whinny and a chestnut horse ran toward them. Holding Pikachu tightly, he jumped onto the horse's back and grabbed the reins.

"Go Epona!" He yelled and kicked hard.

Epona picked up speed and Link steered her so they ran alongside the edge of a wide canyon and Pikachu crawled behind Link. She then launched her Thunderbolt and hit two of the warthogs sending the riders into the canyon. Pikachu could tell that they had to end this now, so she got ready to launch her Discharge attack. If she aimed right, she could knock all the warthogs off their trail.

She was just about to attack when one of the creatures shot another arrow. This time, his aim was true. Pikachu felt Link jerk foreword and stagger as he let out a sharp cry of pain. His hands slipped off the reins. Pikachu jumped onto Link's shoulder and they both fell down the canyon while Epona ran off. Pikachu held onto Link as they fell into a rushing ravine below.

Pikachu found Link unconscious under the water. She grabbed onto Link's green tunic and broke the surface of the water using all of her strength to keep Link's head and hers above the water. Pikachu struggled to breathe as the current swept them this way and that. Pikachu was then pushed under water. Her head struck a boulder and she knew no more.


	3. Alone

Chapter 3

Pikachu breathed slowly as she felt sand under her paws. She was soaked to the skin and battered from the water. She slowly got to her feet and looked around. The water had swept her onto the shore. She looked beside her and saw Link lying face-down on the sand. Pikachu limped over to him and her stomach tightened as she saw an arrow had pierced him below his right shoulder. Bright red blood soaked his green tunic and dripped onto the sand. Pikachu went over to the arrow and took hold of it. Link flinched and groaned as Pikachu slowly pulled the arrow out.

She ran over to Link's head and nudged it with her own. "Link, Link, are you alright?" she asked.

Link stirred and opened his eyes. "I should be fine." He said weakly.

Pikachu felt something stir near them. She looked up the canyon wall that surrounded them and saw the red eyes of the green creatures staring at them. "Link, I need to get you out of here. Those monsters are coming." She said, but Link shook his head.

"Just leave me here Pikachu, I'm too weak, I can't even stand up." He said.

"No, I'm not just going to leave you here, not while you're like this!" she said, "They'll kill you."

"If I come with you I'll just slow you down, they'll end up catching both of us. Then the land of Hyrule will be doomed as we know it." Link said. "Head north of here, to the Kokiri forest, you should be safe. There, you'll find the guardian of the forest, The Great Deku Tree."

"The Great Deku Tree?" Pikachu asked.

Link nodded. "Tell him you're the Lightning Warrior and about what happened to Zelda. He should be able to help you."

Tears came to Pikachu's eyes. "Link; I'm afraid for you." She said.

"Don't worry about me, there's no time, you have to go now." He said.

Pikachu slowly began to walk north. She took one last look and Link and began to run.

"Take care, Pikachu." Link whispered. He closed his eyes as Ganondorf's minions came toward him.

Pikachu continued to run trying to blink back the tears. She had lost both Zelda and Link. She was all alone in a world she didn't know.

'Link, Zelda; please be safe.' she whispered to herself.

She ran all through the day until she came to a large forest. She crossed a large wood bridge and found herself in a small forest village. The moon shone brightly over the small houses. Pikachu found a patch of tall grass that shielded her from view. She found two small boulders and rolled them into the grass. She made a small cap out of fallen leaves and put it on the first rock, and a tiara made of flowers and put it on the second rock. She felt somewhat childish, but she was too heartbroken and scared to care. She curled up in the soft grass between the boulders.

"Good night Link." She said the boulder with the hat.

"Good night Zelda." She said to the boulder with the tiara. She curled up tightly and cried softly until she fell fast asleep.


	4. Fairies and Talking Trees

Chapter 4

The next day the sun was shining brightly down onto the forest village. Pikachu felt dried tears on her cheeks from the night before. She pulled herself together and headed into the town, she had to find the Great Deku Tree that Link told her about. She hid most of the time to avoid attracting attention from the Kokiri children. She ran into a bushel and found herself face to face with a small dark purple fairy. The fairy let out a small cry and hid behind a leaf.

"Don't hurt me." He squeaked.

Pikachu stared at the small creature. "I'm not going to hurt you." She said.

The fairy slowly came out from his hiding spot. "Then what are you? I've never seen anything like you around the forest." He said.

"I'm a Pokémon. My name is Pikachu." She answered. "I'm from a different world, and I'm the Lightning Warrior."

The fairy flinched. "You're the Lightning Warrior?" he asked. Pikachu nodded.

"Well, my name's Tael, nice to meet you." The fairy said warmly.

Pikachu smiled. "Say Tael, could you help me? I'm looking for the Great Deku Tree; could you take me to him?" Pikachu asked.

Tael nodded. "Sure, I was heading there anyway to meet up with my sister and her friends. Follow me!"

Pikachu followed Tael through the forest until they came to an enormous tree that seemed to have a face carved into the front.

"Tael! You made it!" A voice cried out.

Pikachu and Tael looked up to see three more fairies flying toward them. A yellow fairy followed by a blue and a green fairy floated above Pikachu.

"Hey sis!" Tael said to the yellow fairy.

The yellow fairy looked down at Pikachu. She flew down and hovered right in front of Pikachu's face. "Who's this?" she asked as if with suspicion.

Tael flew down next to the fairy. "This is Pikachu, the Lightning Warrior." He said with excitement.

The blue fairy flew down next to the yellow fairy. "Is that true?" she asked.

Pikachu nodded. The blue fairy then began to shake somewhat.

"Are you okay?" Pikachu asked.

"Yes, I just can't believe it! The Lightning Warrior really does exist!" The blue fairy exclaimed. "My name's Navi. It's really great to meet you."

The yellow fairy spoke up. "I'm Tatl, Tael's sister."

The green fairy silently flew down and hovered behind Navi. "Oh, and this is my brother Verdo." Navi said.

The green fairy nodded, he seemed somewhat shy.

"Ah, you have arrived; I have been waiting for you Lightning Warrior." A deep voice said. Pikachu jumped and looked up at the enormous tree. "I am the Great Deku Tree." He said.

A talking tree, what would be next?

Link felt immense pain as he tried to move. He felt weak and dizzy from blood loss. He felt a cold hard stone floor beneath his face and the air felt clammy and damp. He opened his eyes to find he was in some kind of dungeon. A chain was around his ankle that was attached to the wall and all of his weapons were gone.

He touched his wound and felt even more pain. He pulled his hand away and saw there was still some blood on it. He wanted to break out and find Zelda and discover where he was, but he couldn't even move let alone fight his way out. As he laid his head back onto the floor he remembered Pikachu. He wondered if she was alright. He was just going to have to count on Pikachu to stop the darkness, and hopefully find him and Zelda. Link's eyes closed and he slept once again.


	5. The Journey Begins

Chapter 5

"Yes, that is troubling, I am sorry for your loss." The Great Deku Tree was saying. Pikachu let out a small smile.

"Link has really been captured?" Navi asked. Pikachu nodded sadly.

"There is only one way to find the darkness and rescue Link and Princess Zelda. You must gather the three Slates of Balance." The Great Deku Tree said.

Pikachu looked at him. "What are the three Slates of Balance?" she asked.

"They are very valuable objects of the sacred realm; each one holds the power of one of the three goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore. You must go to the three temples to find them and bring them to the Sacred Dais. Only then will the location of the darkness be revealed." The Great Deku Tree explained.

"Alright," Pikachu said nodding.

The Great Deku Tree turned to the four fairies "Navi, Tatl, Tael and Verdo; I want you to accompany Pikachu on this quest, we must stop the darkness from taking over Hyrule."

Pikachu smiled at her new companions; if Link was helped by a fairy partner then Pikachu could be too. "Where are these temples? Where's this Sacred Dais?" Pikachu asked.

"One temple is hidden deep in this forest, another is inside a large mountain of fire, and the last is deep beneath a lake. When all three slates are brought together they will reveal the location of the Sacred Dais." The Great Deku Tree said.

Pikachu bowed her head. "Thank you, I promise to everything I can to stop the darkness and rescue Link and Zelda." She said.

She nodded to the four fairies and they headed out back to the village. "Be strong Lightning Warrior." The Great Deku Tree said just as they disappeared.

Pikachu ran through the village with Navi and Tatl leading the way and Tael and Verdo trailing behind as they headed toward the Lost Wood to find the first temple. Their journey had begun.


	6. The Bird Queen of Forest: Egalia

Chapter 6

Pikachu stared in awe at the enormous temple. It was much bigger than the Temple of the Tempest.

"Is this the place?" Pikachu asked.

"Yep, this is the Temple of Farore; we should find the Slate of Courage here." Navi answered.

They walked up the stairs to the temple entrance, but Pikachu accidently knocked over a small pot. The pot instantly shattered and a small pink fairy flew around the mess.

"Another fairy?" Pikachu asked.

"This one is different from us; this kind can heal any injury even if you're almost dead." Tatl said.

An idea came to Pikachu's mind almost immediately. She cupped the small fairies in her paws and spoke to it gently.

"I need you to heal my friend; he's a prisoner somewhere and is injured badly. His name is Link and he's wearing a green tunic and a long green hat. Can you find him for me and help him?"

The small fairy nodded and flew out of Pikachu's paws. She then nodded to her four companions. "Let's go." She said and they entered the temple.

Pikachu found her first temple experience both exciting and nerve-wracking. She had no idea what to expect and had to solve unusual puzzles to find her way through. Luckily, Navi and Tatl had done this before and gave her very useful advice about the monsters and puzzles.

Pikachu eventually found an enormous chest with a strange design on it. It wasn't the same chest that held the normal silver keys that opened locked doors. Inside, she found a large golden key with a ruby on the handle that reminded her of an eye.

"You did it Pikachu! You found the Boss Key!" Navi cried happily.

"Now we can fight the temple's boss and find that first slate!" Tatl said excitedly.

Pikachu walked deeper into the temple until she found a large door chained with a golden padlock. She took out the boss key and slid it into the lock. She twisted it and the lock opened and fell to the ground along with the chains. Pikachu took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked inside.

The room was large and round, like the room Link fought in the Temple of the Tempest. Pikachu walked deeper into the room. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster and sweat beginning to bead on her face. She took a few deep breaths trying to calm herself down. It was then, when she felt something stir nearby. Her ears twitched and her eyes darted around the room. She looked up and there it was. An enormous dark brown bird with red eyes and razor sharp teeth flew above her. It screeched and flew around the room circling her.

"What is that thing?" Pikachu cried.

"The Bird Queen of Forest, Egalia. " Tatl said.

"What am I supposed to do?" Pikachu asked.

"Look for its weak spot. But you have to look hard." Navi answered.

Pikachu watched the monster carefully, dodging every attack it made. Egalia then flew close to the ground and scraped her talons on the ground causing sparks to fly up. Pikachu jumped and flipped over Egalia to avoid the attack when something caught her eye. She saw what looked like a bright green stone lodged into Egalia's forehead. Could this the weak spot Navi was talking about?

Pikachu landed and whirled around to face Egalia. Pikachu then launched her Thunderbolt directly toward the stone to experiment. Egalia took a direct hit and screeched in pain. She fell to the ground with her head toward the ground. The stone was wide open for attack.

"That's her weak spot! Now's your chance! Attack the stone up close!" Navi cried.

Pikachu ran up to Egalia and readied her Iron Tail. She jumped up, flipped, and slammed her tail into the stone. Egalia screeched louder than ever, she flew into the air flapping her wings crazily as she writhed in agony. Pikachu watched as the stone cracked and broke. There was an explosion and a puff of smoke, and Egalia was gone. The room lit up with sunlight showing that evil was now gone from the temple.

"You did it Pikachu!" Tael cried.

"You really defeated the boss!" Verdo said happily.

Pikachu looked up as an orb of light came down from the ceiling toward her. She held up her paws as the orb floated in front of her. The orb faded and an object was placed in her paws. It was a thin green slate shaped like a triangle. It was smooth and perfect with an aura of courage emanating from it.

"Is this it?" Pikachu asked.

Tatl rang like bell. "Yes! It's the Slate of Courage!"

Pikachu smiled, the first part of her mission was complete. She tucked the slate away into a bag she bought from a shop in the Kokiri forest. A patch of light appeared on the ground in front of her.

"Let's get out of here." Verdo said.

Pikachu and the four fairies walked into the light, and in a second, found themselves back at the entrance of the temple.

Link's eyes fluttered open to the sound of a fairies wing. The wound he had received wasn't getting any better and he grown weak and pale from blood loss. The guards of the prison he was in had given him some food and water, but he was too weak to take it. He couldn't even reach out to a bowl of water that had been given to him that morning. If the wound didn't heal soon, it was very likely Link could die.

He used what strength he had left to look up toward the small barred window above him. He saw what looked like a pink fairy flying toward him. The fairy circled around him as it glowed and a trail of sparkles followed it. The magic seemed to wash over him like a gentle current, and all pain seemed to disappear. Link felt the strength return to his body as the fairy flew away.

He lifted himself up to a kneeling position and touched the back off his right shoulder. It felt as if the wound had never even been there. Just his luck that a fairy would fly into his cell, but it would've never healed him unless he had caught it. Someone else must've caught it and sent to him. But who?

Link smiled; Pikachu.

Link picked up the bowl of water and quickly drained it. Now that he was healed, he had to figure out a way to escape and find where Zelda was being held.


	7. The Flamed Cobra of Magma: Helcano

Chapter 7

Pikachu and the four fairies stood at the base of Goron Mountain. A large ring of fire surrounded the top and Pikachu could feel the heat of the magma even at the base. Pikachu scaled the mountain, but the constant earthquakes and rockslides from the volcanic activity made it more difficult. For the sake of the fairies safety, she told Tatl and Tael to find the entrance to the volcano and tucked Navi and Verdo into her bag to keep them safe. As Pikachu climbed higher up the volcano, she heard Tatl and Tael ring in unison.

"You're almost there Pikachu!" Tael called.

"Don't mess up and fall!" Tatl added.

"Thanks!" Pikachu called back sarcastically.

She eventually met with Tatl and Tael at the entrance of a cave. She let Navi and Verdo come out of her bag as they walked through the cave. Eventually they came to a wide open space in the middle of the volcano. Pikachu slowly walked to the edge and peered down into the enormous space. There was nothing inside but burning boulders and a small hole was in the middle. It was a really long way down, she remembered the Great Deku Tree's words; one temple was inside a mountain of fire.

'I guess he really meant it' Pikachu thought grimly.

She looked at her four fairy friends and could tell that they weren't exactly okay with jumping into a volcano either; but it couldn't be helped, they had to go in and find that next slate. It would bring them closer to finding the Sacred Dais and closer to finding Link and Zelda.

Pikachu clenched one of her paws into a fist, 'Mark my words, I WILL find you Link and Zelda, I promise you and even at the cost of my life, I swear I'll protect you by any means necessary!' she vowed silently.

She turned to the four fairies; "Ready?" she asked them.

They all jumped, "What? You can't possibly be saying that we're going in there!" Tatl fretted.

"I'm with her on this one, there must be another way!" Navi agreed.

Pikachu frowned, "C'mon Navi, you and I both know that there is no other way," she said, "We're gonna have to jump."

Tael flew to his sister and nuzzled her closely with tears spouting out of his eyes like a fountain, "Waaaaaaaaah! Sis, I don't wanna die! Waaaaaaaah!" he wailed.

Verdo nuzzled Navi while crying as much as Tael, "Waaaaaaaaah! Navi, don't make us go! Please don't make us!" he cried.

The two female fairies nuzzled their brothers back, "I know Tael, I don't want to go either but…..," Tatl said before she immediately broke down sprouting tears just like her brother, "Waaaah! I'm sorry, but we have no choice! But I won't let you die, I swear!" she cried.

Navi broke down too, spouting tears with the rest of her friends, "Don't worry Verdo! I won't let anything happen to you! Waaaaah!"

Pikachu sweat-dropped and putting the fretting fairies into her bag. Even though they were safely inside, they wouldn't stop crying and holding each other.

"Would you guys stop already? You're getting my bag all wet!" she said firmly, getting irritated.

Pikachu stood at the edge of the crater and took a deep breath. She took a few steps back and ran toward the edge, and jumped. Four tiny screams could be heard inside her bag as she plummeted toward the hole. She managed to enter it without getting injured and continued to fall through the darkness.

Eventually, she saw a light below her, and soon, the ground rushing up to meet her. Pikachu braced herself and landed on the stone ground on all fours. Pikachu's eyes watered as the pain rushed up her limbs. She bit her lip to keep in her scream. After she pulled herself together, she looked into her bag to see how the fairies were doing. They were all deathly pale, and stiff as boards. Pikachu picked up Navi by one wing, but she didn't move; you could've mistaken her for a paper cutout of a fairy. Pikachu sweat-dropped as she placed the four petrified fairies on the ground to collect themselves; she began to look around, ignoring the fretting from the small creatures behind her of what they had just been through.

In front of them, was an enormous temple, which was just as big as the Temple of Farore. This temple had to be the Temple of Din. The four fairies hovered next to Pikachu as they all stared at the amazing temple. Pikachu nodded to the four fairies and they all walked inside.

Pikachu definitely preferred the Temple of Farore over _this_ temple. It was so hot; Pikachu thought she would pass out from a heat stroke if she stayed in one room too long. She had to watch her step almost everywhere she went; one wrong move would probably mean a one-way trip to the lava pits below her. Pikachu was starting to get annoyed by all the minions in the temple. Giant carnivorous plants were one thing, but small, irritating bats that were on fire were even worse.

The one up-side about this temple was the lack of puzzles needing to be solved. Pikachu had to rely more on her fighting skills rather than her mind in order to make from room to room.

After a while, Pikachu finally found the boss key and started to make her way to the boss's lair. Soon she found herself in front of a large door with the familiar giant golden padlock on it. Pikachu slipped the key in, opened the door, and walked inside.

The room was large and round, very much like the boss room in the last temple. The only difference was the scorching ground, and the red hot walls of magma. Pikachu walked around the room slowly, when she heard a rattling sound. She looked around, but nothing was in sight. She heard it again, but it seemed closer.

Finally, the ground began to shake, and something began to emerge from the ground. To Pikachu's horror, it was a giant cobra. It was bright red like fire, and small flames emanated from its tongue and mouth.

"Navi, Tatl, who is that?" Pikachu asked.

"The Flamed Cobra of Magma: Helcano." Navi answered.

The monster hissed and shot large flames from its mouth. Pikachu jumped out of the way just in time, but the snake simply turned and struck. Pikachu narrowly missed its large and probably poisonous fangs. Helcano was too fast and skinny to try to hit with Thunderbolt, so Pikachu decided to try Discharge. She waited for Helcano to get closer and launched the attack, but Helcano easily went underground to avoid it.

Pikachu waited for the cobra to show itself and felt the ground under her begin to heave. Before she could even move, Helcano emerged from the ground and threw Pikachu. She hit the burning wall and slammed to the ground. A portion of her fur was coal black and the smell of burning hair filled the room. Pikachu pulled herself together and got up, she was going to have to use a strategy if she wanted to kill this thing.

Helcano slithered toward her, baring its fangs, ready to strike again, but Pikachu was ready this time. She unleashed her Double Team, creating multiple clones throughout the room. Helcano attacked one of the clones which immediately disappeared on contact. Helcano became even more confused and attacked blindly. At that moment, Pikachu launched her Thunder attack and landed a direct hit. Helcano cried out and fell to the ground, stunned from the electric blast. Pikachu made the clones disappear and ran toward the snake; she had to find its weak spot and fast!

She looked down the long thin body until she noticed the end of its tail which looked like a rattlesnake tail. It was shaking and was a different color than the rest of the snake's body. Helcano began to stir, and Pikachu had to act now.

She launched her Thunder attack again, but with full power, landing it directly on the end of the snake's tail. Helcano sprang up and cried in pain. It let flames loose from its mouth as it writhed in absolute pain. Finally, flames erupted from Helcano's body, burning the snake alive. Eventually, the fire burned out and Helcano had turned stiff and black. There was a cracking noise and a large puff of smoke, and the snake was gone.

The heat from the room died down and the walls and floor turned black and cool as an orb of light came down from above. Pikachu held out her paws and caught the orb, which faded to reveal a triangular slate that looked just like the Slate of Courage, but this slate was bright red and an aura of power emanated from it.

"Alright! We got the Slate of Power!" Verdo exclaimed.

"We just need to find one more, and we'll find the Sacred Dais the Great Deku Tree was talking about!" Tael said excitedly.

Pikachu nodded and carefully put the second slate into her bag. "The Great Deku Tree said the last temple was beneath a lake, do you guys have any idea where that might be?" she asked.

Navi and Tatl looked at each other, "The only lake around here is Lake Hylia," Tatl said,

"The last temple, the Temple of Nayru, has to be there somewhere," Navi agreed.

"Okay," Pikachu said, "Then we're off to Lake Hylia!"


	8. The Octarok Queen: Tetalnia

Chapter 8

Link ran through a long, narrow hallway, looking around desperately for any sign of where he was. It had been only an hour since he had been healed and had broken out of his cell, but he still couldn't find his sword, shield, or Zelda. But that wasn't the only thing Link was looking for; he still had no idea where those Bulblins (if you've played Twilight Princess, you know who they are) had taken him, or even if Ganondorf was nearby.

He continued to run, if he couldn't find Zelda, he could at least find his way out and look for Pikachu. Pikachu's safety had been tugging at his mind ever since they separated. He just couldn't ignore the fact that she was all alone in a world she didn't know anything about.

He rounded a corner, where two Bulblins were waiting. The small, hooded creatures ran toward Link with their clubs raised, but Link quickly leapt over them and continued to run as fast as possible. Normally, Link would've taken them down easily, but without his sword, he was practically useless.

Link was beginning to get desperate, so he looked out one of the many small windows that were lined along the wall. He was quite far from the ground, about forty feet or so, but jumping was a risk he had to take. He kicked the window, shattering the glass, and jumped. The ground quickly rushed up to meet him, and he landed on his feet. He gritted his teeth in pain as his legs shook from the impact. He got up and ran as far away from the fort as possible. He turned around once he was a few yards away and got a better look at where he had been kept prisoner.

To Link's surprise, it was an enormous castle made of sandstone; it reminded Link a lot of the Sprit Temple in the Haunted Wasteland. It had three huge towers, with the tallest one in the middle. A small dark swirl surrounded the tip of the middle tower. Link turned away from the castle to see if he could find where he was, when saw all of Hyrule below him at the edge of a cliff. He was on a huge mountain that overlooked the entire kingdom; even Goron Mountain was far below him. Link knelt down and leaned over the edge of the cliff face; he could only see tiny people in Kakariko and Goron Mountain, when something caught his eye. He saw a small yellow figure run from the entrance of Goron Mountain; Link only knew one other who was small and yellow,

"Pikachu," he said loudly with surprise.

He felt something stir behind him; he whirled around just in time to see a Bulblin hold a wooden tube up to its mouth and shoot out a dart. Link moved his head to the right, the dart just grazing his cheek. Blood trickled down his cheek as he got up and ran. He spotted a small path that led down the mountain, and he bolted down it,

"Don't worry Zelda, I'll come for you, I promise," he whispered as he wiped the blood on the back of his hand.

Once Link was out of sight, the Bulblin walked up to where he had shot the dart. He found it on the ground where Link was just standing; it must have grazed him pretty hard to keep it from going over the mountain.

The Bulblin picked up the dart and saw the end of it was dripping with some of Link's blood. He carefully put some of the blood on his finger and tasted it. He spit it out almost immediately and smiled. The dart had been drenched in poison that Skull Kids in the Kokiri Forest are known for using against intruders. Even the tiniest drop of that poison would affect your body and spread until you die; and a drop had gotten into Link when it grazed him. The Bulblin walked back toward the castle to tell his master of the news; Link wasn't going to last long.

Pikachu gasped in amazement as she looked at the large Lake Hylia. The water was sparkling in the afternoon sun and a gentle breeze made the water ripple slightly.

"It's beautiful," Pikachu breathed.

"Yeah, but unfortunately, it's also pretty dangerous," Tatl said.

"There are lots of monsters living in the water, and around the lake, to tell the truth, the Water Temple Link and I went to was definitely the hardest," Navi agreed, remembering when they ventured through the Water Temple and defeated the boss Morpha to awaken the Sage of Water.

"Wait, the Great Deku Tree said the last temple was beneath a lake, but the Water Temple is at the bottom of this lake," Tael pointed out. "Not to mention that Lake Hylia is the only lake in all of Hyrule too."

Pikachu nodded; there couldn't possibly be two temples underneath one lake could there?

"Maybe the Zoras know something about the Temple of Nayru," Verdo piped up.

Pikachu looked at the green fairy, "Zoras?" she asked.

"They're water creatures who live around here, they can breathe in air and water so they know the lake well," Tatl explained.

"I remember where they live, Link and I went there a couple times during our adventure," Navi offered.

Pikachu nodded, "Lead the way Navi,"

They all followed Navi until the large lake became a river. They went upstream until they came to a huge waterfall. Navi led them to a bridge right in front of the waterfall. The water crashed down with incredible force, it almost blew Pikachu away. Pikachu walked to the middle of the bridge until she found she was standing on a mark that looked just like the Triforce engraved into the ground. Pikachu's Mark of Lightning began to glow and a rumbling came from the waterfall. The water parted, splitting the waterfall in half, revealing a path leading into a cave.

"This is it," Navi announced.

Pikachu and the four fairies walked into the cave and the water closed behind them. It was dark for a minute, until they saw a bright light. They all emerged from the cave, and the sight nearly took Pikachu's breath away.

The inside was round and filled with water, a series of tunnels led around the water to destinations. A small waterfall fell from the back and sunlight streamed through the top, making almost everything glow. Pikachu had never known water could be this beautiful, nothing in all the kingdom of Hyrule could compare to the beauty of this place.

"This is Zora's Domain," Navi said.

Pikachu looked around and saw what looked like humans walking and swimming around in the water. But to Pikachu's shock, they had bright blue skin, somewhat long noses, fish tails hanging on the back of their heads, webbed hands, webbed feet and they all had ocean blue eyes.

"Are these the Zoras?" Pikachu asked.

"Yep," Tatl answered; she had of course seen her share of Zoras during her adventure with Link.

"Wait, but what are those?" Pikachu asked pointing to a large group of creatures near the lake.

The creatures were brown, quite round, and looked like they had rocks growing out of their backs. They looked nothing like the Zoras.

"Those are Gorons, right?" Tael answered, Tatl nodded.

"You mean like Goron Mountain where we fought Helcano?" Pikachu asked.

Navi nodded, "Gorons are the ones who live inside Goron Mountain, we didn't see them when we went because they live in the dormant part of the mountain; they probably fled because of the mountains unusual activity from the Temple of Din."

"Then what are they all doing here?" Pikachu asked.

It seemed pretty odd that creatures that normally lived around fire in the mountain would stay here with all this water.

"They may not look it, but Gorons and Zoras are actually closely related; Gorons can breathe in and out of water just like Zoras, the only difference is that Gorons sink like, well, rocks so they can't swim like the Zoras can," Tatl explained.

"So you guys are saying that the Gorons are here because they're like family to the Zoras?" Verdo asked.

"Right," Navi answered, "But we should hurry and talk to King Zora and see if he knows anything about the Temple of Nayru," she added.

Everyone nodded and they went on their way. They traveled through the maze of tunnels until a Zora that looked like a guard and held a spear approached them.

"Pardon me, but are you the Lightning Warrior?" he asked.

Pikachu hesitated before nodding.

"Come this way, King Zora is expecting you," the guard said, and walked off.

Pikachu and the fairies followed, wondering how the king could've known who she was. The guard led them to a small chamber with a small pond of water inside. A throne was at the back of the chamber, inside it was what looked like a large blue fish with arms and legs, but on top of his head was a small crown. This had to be King Zora. The guard pointed his staff to a small platform that was a few feet in front of the throne.

Pikachu walked onto the platform and stood on two legs, "Your highness," she said bowing.

"Rise little one," King Zora said, and Pikachu did.

"My guard tells me that you are the Lightning Warrior, is this true?" he asked.

Pikachu held up the back of her paw revealing the Mark of Lightning, "Yes," she answered, "May I ask how you know me, King Zora?" she asked.

"A few nights ago, I had a dream; the Sage of Water appeared to me and told me of your quest and that you would soon arrive here," King Zora explained. "I understand that you are searching for three certain temples?" he asked.

Pikachu nodded, "Yes, I'm looking for the Sacred Dais which may hold the power to destroy the evil that threatens Hyrule. Please King Zora, can you tell me where I may find the Temple of Nayru?" she asked.

"Ah yes, the Temple of Nayru; it is a very old tale passed down by the Zoras. According to the story, the temple you seek is somewhere in the Zora's Fountain, and the entrance to that fountain is right behind my throne," King Zora explained, "Come up here and you get to the fountain and hopefully find the Temple of Nayru."

The large fish slid over to the side slightly to reveal a passageway.

Pikachu bowed again, "Thank you very much King Zora!" she said excitedly.

She scampered off the platform and ran into the passage behind King Zora with the four fairies trailing behind her. A few seconds later, they emerged to find another large body of water. It looked quite deep and was a deep royal blue.

"Of course! Now what the Great Deku Tree said is making sense!" Pikachu exclaimed. "He said the last temple was beneath a lake, and all the water in Lake Hylia comes from this fountain which makes it part of the lake!"

Verdo flew up high and looked around the lake, "But how are we gonna find the temple? This fountain is huge and it's too dark and deep to see the bottom!" he asked.

"We may have to swim," Pikachu said.

The four went up to a small deck that overlooked the lake. Just then, the water began to shake. Out of the water emerged a giant fish, with what looked like a giant crown-like object on its head. Pikachu fell over from looking at how big it was,

"What on earth is this?" she asked.

"It's Lord Jabu-Jabu, the Guardian spirit of the Zoras!" Navi exclaimed.

"He may be able to help find the temple!" Tatl said excitedly.

Pikachu got back on her feet and stared at the enormous fish. Zoras certainly had odd looking leaders and dieties, but then again, she should be used to all the strange things she had seen so far in this world.

"Lord Jabu-Jabu, I am the Lightning Warrior. Could you please help me find the Temple of Nayru?" Pikachu asked.

The fish's eyes twitched a bit and its mouth slowly began to open. A whirlwind then came from its mouth and began sucking Pikachu and her four companions inside. They tried to resist, but it was no use.

"Was it something I said!" Pikachu wondered out loud before she and the four fairies were sucked into the darkness of the fish's mouth.

Lord Jabu-Jabu closed his mouth and dove into the fountain. He continued to swim downward, until he reached the floor of the fountain. He swam toward the wall of the fountain and entered a tunnel that was just his size that led even deeper into the water. No one, not even the Zoras could withstand the pressure and freezing temperature down here, except for the Guardian of the temple that was hidden down this deep.

Lord Jabu-Jabu continued down the tunnel until it opened into a clearing where a large sphere of air lay at the bottom. Inside the sphere was none other than the temple. The Guardian Spirit entered his mouth into the sphere of air, opened it, and blew out Pikachu and the four fairies. They landed on the soft sand that cushioned the floor of the clearing.

"Where are we?" Pikachu asked.

"I think we just found the Temple of Nayru," Verdo said as he stared in awe at the giant temple.

Pikachu turned around just in time to see Lord Jabu-Jabu swim away, back to the tunnel that led back to the fountain,

"Thank you Lord Jabu-Jabu!" Pikachu called after him, waving her small paw.

She turned toward the temple and walked toward the entrance. This temple was bound to be the toughest, but Pikachu was ready for anything if it meant helping Link and Zelda.

The Temple of Nayru was anything but simple. Pikachu could see why it was named after the goddess of wisdom; because wisdom was something she desperately needed if she wanted to get through this. There were so many switches that changed the water level to a certain height, and Pikachu had to constantly keep changing them back and forth in order to solve the puzzles.

In one room, Pikachu had to raise the water level so she could swim across a floor-full of spikes to get to a door. But when she opened it, the water level was too high to get to another door that was below the water. Pikachu had to go back through the other room, lower the water level, and find another way around the spikes to get to the door.

Navi and Tatl constantly got stumped when it came to the puzzles, but they were at least helpful when it came to combat. Pikachu almost got eaten by a giant man-eating fish when she was swimming across a room. She made herself a mental note; always check the water before you swim in it.

By the time she finally got the boss key, she was sick and tired of swimming; but she was gonna have to put it behind her since the boss of this temple was bound to be a water-dweller. Pikachu managed to get to the door with the golden padlock on it and open it.

She walked inside to find another round room with a deep pool of water in the middle that took up just about the entire room. The border was the only land in the whole room. Pikachu walked around for a moment before the water began to bubble. Large purple tentacles shot out of the water followed by the body of an enormous purple octopus-like creature with red eyes, a long horn-shaped snout and a small blue crown upon its head.

"What's this one called guys?" Pikachu asked.

"The Octarok Queen, Tetalnia," Navi answered.

Tetalnia lashed out her tentacles toward Pikachu who quickly dodged with Agility. The octopus kept attacking causing Pikachu to jump everywhere, which was quite difficult considering the small amount of space she had. Eventually, Tetalnia brought forth all her tentacles at once. Pikachu decided to take a chance and she jumped over Tetalnia and started to land on the other side, but just before Pikachu could land, the octopus shot a huge boulder out of her mouth. The boulder slammed Pikachu into the wall, leaving a huge dent in the process.

Pikachu fell to the ground, stunned from the sudden impact and looked up just in time to see Tetalnia fire another boulder at her.

"I don't think so," Pikachu muttered.

She powered up her Iron Tail and slammed it into the rock. The rock instantly shattered on impact, but a huge chunk of it hit Tetalnia right in the face. The Octarok wavered a bit from the blow, giving Pikachu the opening she needed. She jumped toward the monster and landed a direct hit with Iron Tail.

Tetalnia was really mad now. She wrapped a tentacle around the small mouse and shoved her underwater. Pikachu knew it was time to end this. Pikachu unleashed a full power Thunder attack, causing the entire room to light up with electricity. Tetalnia shook from the intense attack and finally went limp when the lightning disappeared.

Pikachu quickly swam back to surface, desperate for air. She crawled onto land safely as Tetalnia began to wither and dry up. There was a puff of smoke, and the Octarok Queen was gone. Light shone into the round room and the floor of the deep pool rose up, until it looked like there had never been any water to begin with. Pikachu walked to the middle of the room as the orb of light floated down from above.

Pikachu caught it as it revealed itself to be the third and final slate. It was bright blue, like the skin of the Zoras and emanated an aura of wisdom. Pikachu smiled as she held the triangular slate; her mission was finally complete. They had finally found all three Slates of Balance. Pikachu could tell her four fairy friends were brimming with excitement and happiness, just like she was.

"Well, what're we waiting for?" Tatl asked as the bright light appeared a few away from Pikachu.

"Yeah, let's find that Dais!" Tael agreed.

Pikachu smiled and nodded. She stepped into the light, and they were all outside near Lake Hylia; they were soaking wet, but safe and sound.

"Well, let's do it," Navi said.

Pikachu took out slates one by one and laid them on the ground. First, the Slate of Courage on the left; then, the Slate of Power on top; and finally, the Slate of Wisdom on the right. Together, they formed the Triforce, each color representing the goddess that carried each power.

The tri-colored triangle began to glow, as well as Pikachu's Mark of Lightning. The slates rose into the air and faced Pikachu and the four fairies and seemed to grow in size until it was three times the size of Pikachu. The slates were glowing so brightly that they were now all white in color and a deep voice rang from the object.

"O, Hero who assembled the Slates of the Goddesses, enter and ye shall find the ancient Dais where evil cannot touch!"

Pikachu looked at the four fairies and they all nodded. Pikachu walked toward the slates and reached toward it. Her paw went right through; a portal had opened within the slates. Pikachu and the four fairies entered the portal and into whiteness. With only a few steps, they would find the Sacred Dais. They were finally going to learn the secret of how to defeat the Darkness.


	9. The Final Challenge of the Sacred Dais

Chapter 7

Link slumped against a tree as cold sweat began to form on his forehead. He was almost down the mountain, but his head was starting to feel heavy. His vision began to get fuzzy and dark and his breathing became heavier every second.

His cheek where he had been grazed by the dart had been throbbing in pain ever since he escaped the castle. He found a puddle and looked at his reflection. The cut from the dart had healed, but the surrounding area was purple and looked like it was spreading. The thought of the dart being poisonous struck Link almost immediately. He wished he had figured that out earlier.

He continued to lie against the tree as all hope began to drain from inside him. Rauru said that two pieces of the Triforce combined with the Mark of Lightning could defeat the Darkness; if he didn't make it, Hyrule would be doomed.

He stayed in the same spot for another hour or so, getting weaker every moment that passed. His eyes slowly changed from blue to dark red as the world around him turned dark, red, and fuzzy. He didn't know what was what, forgotten who his friends were, even who he was.

Just then, a large figure surrounded by a cloud of blackness approached him. The figure dropped a bundle at his feet and Link curiously picked it up. It was his sword and shield; only he didn't remember why he ever had a sword. He found he could wield it quite well. Just then, the Triforce of Courage on his hand began to glow. The figure smiled as a white light enveloped Link and disappeared. It was only a matter of time before Link was dead, as well as the Lightning Warrior.

Pikachu and the four fairies stood in a huge clearing that seemed to be made entirely of clouds. They were standing on an enormous platform made of white marble and in the middle was an enormous Triforce with Pikachu's Mark of Lightning placed in the middle of the triangle.

'This must be the Sacred Dais' Pikachu thought.

The voice from the entrance boomed, "O Lightning Warrior, thou hast done well to reach the Sacred Dais. You have faced many challenges, now accept this last challenge; for if ye succeed, you will discover the true secret to defeating the Dark one that threatens all of Hyrule. Art thou ready to face this challenge?" the voice asked loudly.

Pikachu clenched her paws into fists and nodded, "I'm ready!" she called.

A bright light appeared a few feet away from Pikachu and the four fairies. Pikachu got into a fighting stance as a tall figure began to take shape in the light.

The light faded, but to Pikachu's horror, the figure was none other than Link!

He seemed a little dazed and wielded his sword and shield as he looked around at where he was. Pikachu's heart was leaping with joy, but also twisted with confusion. Was Link her last challenge?

"Link?" Pikachu called, "is that really you?"

Link whirled around to look at the small mouse with the four fairies floating around her. But all Link could see was a dark figure. Link flinched as it began to run toward him, Pikachu was really just trotting toward him.

"Link, I'm so glad you're okay! I knew that fairy would work, I'm just-"

Pikachu jumped back as Link slashed at her with his sword. "Stay back you- whatever you are- stay away from me!" Link cried.

Pikachu noticed how his eyes were now red instead of blue. "Link, it's me Pikachu," she said and began to walk toward him again.

Link slashed at her again, "I'm warning you, keep away!" he yelled.

Navi and Tatl flew up to Link, "Link what's your problem? Do you know what this poor creature has been through trying to save you?" Tatl demanded angrily.

"Link, calm down; we're your friends!" Navi said.

Link responded by swatting at them with his shield, "I don't know what all of you are, but don't come any closer; or….or I'll kill you!" Link growled.

"He doesn't recognize us at all, it's like he's never seen anything living before," Pikachu said quietly.

Pikachu kept her eyes on Link as she pondered what was going on, could Link have lost his memory? It would sense since Pikachu isn't a part of this world anyway, but he would've at least recognized what fairies were. Pikachu then noticed a purple mark on his cheek.

"Navi! What's wrong with Link's cheek?" she called.

Navi flew high above Link and managed to get close enough to look at it. The blue fairy let out a small gasp.

"What is it sis?" Verdo asked.

"Link is infected with Skull Kid poison!" Navi exclaimed.

"Poison?" Pikachu cried.

"From Skull Kids?" Verdo cried.

Navi nodded frantically and continued to examine the wound.

"What's so bad about Skull Kid poison?" Tael asked in a panicked tone.

Even though he and Tatl were friends with a Skull Kid once, they had never heard of Skull Kid poison. The Skull Kid they hung around with never used poisonous darts, only the element of surprise and, at one time, the dark powers of Majora's Mask.

"This kind of poison is what Skull Kids use against really dangerous intruders. If you're hit directly with it you could die within seconds; but it looks like Link just got grazed." Navi said.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Tatl asked.

"No, even one drop into your blood stream will spread slowly throughout your body until it shuts down completely, but until then, you suffer from horrible symptoms; like drowsiness, loss of the senses, losing memories, and hallucinations." Navi explained.

"Hallucinations; that's it! Link's attacking because the poison is tricking his mind into thinking we're enemies! He must've also lost his memories of us so he doesn't know who are!" Pikachu exclaimed.

Pikachu's Mark of Lightning began to glow as well as Link's Triforce of Courage. She could feel them trying to connect and could hear the despair of the Triforce piece. Pikachu knew what she had to do, but she didn't know if it would work.

If she could somehow power up Link's Triforce more it would have enough power to destroy the poison threatening his body.

"I need to transfer my power to Link, but I don't know how or if it will even be enough," Pikachu said doubtfully.

Tatl flew in front of Pikachu, "What kind of talk is that? You think you don't have enough power after all we've been through to get here?" she demanded.

Pikachu flinched at Tatl's sharpness.

"You've defeated three giant monsters on your own; you have great power inside you, I know you can do it; you just have to trust yourself!" she said.

Pikachu smiled at the small fairy, "You're right Tatl, but even so," Pikachu looked back at Link who was eying them carefully with his sword ready to strike, "I don't know if I'll be able to fight Link. I'd never forgive myself if I hurt him after all he's been through."

Tael flew down to Pikachu next to Tatl, "It'll all be worth it if it means you can save him. Tatl and I had to fight a good friend of ours once who was being possessed, and I still don't know how we made it though without breaking down from fright. But one thing that kept us going was that we knew our friend would make it through and he needed our help to do it."

Pikachu stared at the once very timid purple fairy.

"Like sis said, you just have to trust yourself." Tael said.

"Yeah, and you're not alone," Verdo added, flying down next to the two fairies, "We've been with you through this whole journey and this fight is no different."

Navi flew down with them, "We're all here to support you, no matter what happens." She said.

Pikachu smiled at her four friends and nodded, "Thanks you guys! Now let's get Link back to normal!"

Pikachu ran toward Link with the four fairies closely behind her. Pikachu jumped toward Link with sparks flying from her cheeks; she was not going to let Link die.

Not now; not ever.


	10. The Four Guardians of Balance

Chapter 10

Link swung his sword at Pikachu who flipped in mid-air, narrowly missing the blade. Pikachu landed behind him and jetted towards him and landed a Skull Bash on his back. Link lurched forward, but managed to hold his ground. Pikachu leapt into the air and readied her Iron Tail, but Link brought his shield up just in time to block the attack.

Link now knew that this small black creature was dangerous. Without thinking, he charged toward the mouse. Pikachu side-stepped to dodge his next blow and swung her tail underneath his feet, causing him to collapse to the ground.

Pikachu leapt onto his chest and tried to grasp the hand that bore the Triforce of Courage, but was blown into the air as Link knocked her away with the handle of his sword.

As Pikachu started to get up, Link jumped to his feet and ran towards her ready to deliver the finishing blow. At the last minute, Pikachu unleashed Double Team. Link seemed to grow into even more of a panic when saw he was surrounded. He began to swing madly at all the clones, which disappeared as he sliced them, which just confused Link even more.

Pikachu leapt up and nailed Link with a series of Quick Attacks, which made Link swing blindly in the direction he had been hit. Pikachu leapt above the warrior who was looking around frantically for the mouse.

"I'm sorry, Link; but this is for your own good!" Pikachu said.

With that, she unleashed her Thunderbolt as strongly as she could. Link collapsed face-down to the ground as soon as the attack ended. Pikachu landed and quickly rolled Link onto his back. She jumped onto his chest and held onto his left hand which bore the Triforce mark. She had to make this work.

"I just need to concentrate my energy," Pikachu said quietly.

She closed her eyes and focused on her Mark of Lightning which began to glow. She allowed her mark to guide her mind into the Triforce of Courage, where she found herself in a large grey room.

She spotted a glowing triangle piece that was surrounded by an intense wave of black and purple clouds. She could see the glow of the Triforce piece becoming dimmer by the second as more of the poison clouds seeped into it. Pikachu quickly went towards it, but it sent out a thin wave of dark clouds in an effort to push her back. Her feet slid back a few inches and could feel a little pain from the clouds, but she kept going. As she progressed towards the triangle, more and more waves were sent out to stop her, getting stronger every second. She wasn't sure how much more she could take until the poison consumed her as well.

Meanwhile, out on the Sacred Dais, the four fairies watched as Pikachu struggled with purifying Link. She flinched with pain every few seconds and her grip on Link tightened, her eyes tightly squeezed shut and teeth gritted with determination.

"The poison must be stronger that I thought," Navi said.

"Darn it! I wish there was some way we could help her!" Tael said angrily.

"I know, but what can we do?" Tatl wondered.

"Fear not little ones; it is time for your true identities to be revealed!" A voice boomed.

"What are you talking about?" Verdo asked.

"Your true identities have been sleeping for many centuries within you. When the Slates of Balance became scattered, you put your powers into hibernation and took on new identities to protect the secret of the Slates and the Sacred Dais." The voice explained.

Four beams of light shone down on the fairies, "Now awaken! The four Guardians of Balance! Let your true names and powers shine throughout your being!" The voice said.

The fairies froze as memories flooded back to them. Their real names, their powers, their duties; all became clear in mere seconds. The fairies looked at each other and nodded; they surrounded Pikachu who was still concentrating. Their bodies lit up brightly as they entered the Triforce of Courage.

Pikachu looked up as her four friends appeared to her in the grey room, shining brighter than ever before.

"What are you guys doing here?" Pikachu asked frantically, still trying to hold her ground against the oncoming waves.

"Our true identities have awakened; we now have the power to help you save your friend." Navi said, her voice sounding more mature and less childish.

"To put it simply, we are no longer the fairies you used to know," Tatl added.

Pikachu shook her head, "I don't understand."

"We have been sleeping for many centuries, and now it is our duty to help you." Tael explained.

"We are no longer fairies of the Kokiri forest; we are the four Guardians of Balance." Verdo said.

"I am Navina; the Guardian of Wisdom," Navi said.

"I am Tatliva; the Guardian of Power," Tatl said.

"I am Taelron; the Guardian of Courage," Tael said.

"And I am Verdojan; the Guardian of the Sacred Dais." Verdo said.

Pikachu stared in disbelief at the four fairies; they really _had_ changed.

"Now be strong Lightning Warrior, and go forth," Navina said. "We will give you the power to cleanse the darkness the poison holds over the Hero of Time."

The fairies began to fly around Pikachu, getting faster and faster until they became a ring of light. The ring entered Pikachu and her body shone with a bright aura. Pikachu continued toward the Triforce and the grey clouds parted with every step she took. Every wave that came towards her dissolved as soon as it made contact.

Pikachu took this opportunity and ran towards the triangle, whose light was nearly gone. She touched the golden piece and her Mark of Lightning shone brightly. She sent her power into the golden piece and the light slowly began to return. She could see Link reflected on the triangle fighting to break free from the poison's hold.

"Don't give up!" Pikachu called and sent in more power. Link began to slow down and fell to his knees; the poison was ready to land the killing blow.

"LINK!" Pikachu screamed and sent in more power than ever before.

The Mark of Lightning and the Triforce of Courage began to glow brighter than ever. Pikachu was enveloped in the light as the dark clouds of the poison scattered instantly. Pikachu let out a small gasp and opened her eyes. She was back on Link's chest on the Sacred Dais. Her paws that were holding Link's hand were trembling as Pikachu breathed heavily. Link was unconscious, but the Triforce Mark on his hand glowed showing that he was still alive. Pikachu sighed in relief as the four fairies surrounded her.

"You did well, Lightning Warrior," Tatliva said.

Pikachu turned to them, "I couldn't have done it without you guys; thank you." She said gratefully.

The fairies nodded as they accepted her gratitude when Taelron spoke. "You cannot stay here; Link's body is still internally damaged from the poison,"

"If he does not receive proper treatment, there is still a chance he could die." Verdojan agreed.

Pikachu paled and looked at Link, his cheek still reacting from the poison. "What should I do?" she asked them worriedly; she had no idea where she could find someone in time that could heal Link.

"Fear not, we will take you to the village where you can find help," Verdojan said reassuringly.

"Are you coming with me?" Pikachu asked.

"I'm afraid we must remain here and guard the Sacred Dais and the three Slates of Balance, but we will be watching over you and we promise to lend you our power in times of peril." Tatliva said sadly.

Pikachu's eyes began to water; despite how annoying these fairies usually were, they had come such a long way, she found that these fairies were more than just great friends and companions. She couldn't imagine traveling without them.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Pikachu said sadly.

"Worry not, we will never leave you," Taelron said.

On that note, Pikachu and Link began to be enveloped in a bright light, when Pikachu suddenly remembered, "Wait! You never told me how to defeat the Darkness! How can I protect Link and Zelda if I don't know how to fight him?" she called.

She heard Navina's voice, "Fear not, we will soon come to you and help you find the answer; but until then, look into your heart, and you will know how to protect those you love."

A single tear fell from Pikachu's cheek, "Good-bye! Thank you for everything!" She called as the fairies disappeared from view.

When the light faded, Pikachu found herself in a large dessert village. There was sand everywhere and simple wooden huts was all Pikachu could see. Pikachu noticed that many of the villagers were circling her and Link; they must've made a pretty big entrance.

The villagers all wore what looked like togas made of cloth and silk which seemed very thin so they could stand the blinding heat of the sun. Link wheezed and coughed as his breathing became shallow.

Pikachu ran up to his unconscious body, "Link, stay with me!" she said frantically.

The people gasped a little as she spoke, but Pikachu didn't care.

"Please don't die; I won't let you, not after all I went through to save you!" she said through gritted teeth as tears stung her eyes again.

Pikachu looked at the villagers, "Someone, help! My friend needs a doctor!"

The people stared at the mouse, "Does anyone know how to treat Skull Kid poison? Please! My friend is dying!" she cried desperately.

Suddenly, the crowd parted, and a woman walked towards Pikachu and Link. The woman had short grey hair tied back with a band. She wore what looked like armor with a symbol that looked like an eye with a teardrop and looked somewhat familiar.

She knelt down toward Pikachu, "You can entrust Link in my care Pikachu, I know how to heal him," she said.

"How did you know our names?" Pikachu asked as the woman picked up Link,

"I am Impa, a Sheikah, and the Sage of Shadow."

Pikachu's eyes widened as she remembered back in the Chamber of Sages before her whole journey began; when all thpse people surrounded her, Link and Zelda when Rauru was telling them about the Lightning Warrior.

"Come with me, we must hurry if we want to help Link." Impa said and began to walk away with Link in her arms. Pikachu trotted after Impa, her eyes focused on Link, until they came to one of the small wooden huts.

It was quite small, but seemed very comfortable and was made up of two rooms. The first room was quite large and entirely made of wood. The furniture consisted of a wooden dresser, a fireplace with a chimney, a medium sized table and two chairs. There were only two windows with long pieces of cloth hanging over them to serve as curtains.

Impa pushed aside another large curtain that separated the two rooms from eachother. The second room was much smaller than the first, with only one window and had a single bed, a small stool, and nightstand. Impa placed Link on the bed gently and pulled some supplies from the nightstand before pulling the door curtain shut leaving Pikachu alone in the first room. Pikachu sat on the table and watched the door curtain for any sign of Impa emerging with news about Link.

All Pikachu could do now was wait and hope.

AN:

Hey! Sry it took so long 2 update! I just got back from my vacation (which was totally awesome!)

I hope you think I did better on the detail in this chapter and plz review if you think I can do better!


	11. Hope for a Friend

Chapter 11

**(Warning: extreme fluffiness and friendship; those easily swayed by adorable hurt/comfort scenes should read with caution)**

Pikachu's head jerked up as Impa finally emerged from the bedroom. After two hours of waiting, Pikachu leapt to her feet, eager and nervous to hear the news.

"How is he?" Pikachu asked.

Impa was silent for a moment, trying to decide what to say. Eventually she said,

"I was able to heal most of the internal damage, but he's still in a comatose state. There's no telling when or if he will wake up."

Pikachu's heart sank and doused all hope. Her ears sagged and she stared at the ground in defeat.

"But there might be a way to awaken him," Impa said.

Pikachu's head and ears shot up, "What can we do?" she asked.

"Familiarity may help him to fight the coma he's in; and you are just the one he may remember," Impa answered, "Before he fell into this state he muttered your name many times; will you help?" she asked.

Pikachu nodded vigorously and Impa stepped away from the doorway. Pikachu bounded inside, but skidded to a stop when she saw Link lying in the bed. He was covered in blankets and wore his white shirt and his brown pants. His green tunic and hat were folded neatly on the nightstand and his bag, sword and shield were lying in a corner.

Pikachu jumped onto the stool next to him; he was shivering despite the intense heat of the desert and the thick blankets. Pikachu gave him a sad smile and gently touched his cheek, where the poison was finally fading away.

"Hi Link, it's Pikachu," she said softly.

Link didn't move. Pikachu decided to keep talking; it would make her feel better, and hopefully, Link too.

"We sure went through a lot huh?" she asked, "you and Zelda were prisoners, I had to fight three giant monsters; it's really been something."

Link seemed to stir a bit, his face screwed up in pain. The shifted the covers as if he was uncomfortable. Pikachu quickly went under the covers and found Link's hand. She took it from under the blankets and held it with both paws,

"It's okay Link, just relax." She said soothingly.

Link seemed to calm down a bit and stopped moving.

"I'm right here; I won't let anything hurt you." Pikachu whispered.

The mouse stayed with the warrior until night finally fell. Impa walked in to check on her, only to find her sound asleep on the bed beside Link; her paws still grasping his hand. Pikachu woke up the next morning to find Link still asleep. She slowly got up and stretched from her cramped position.

"I'll be back," she whispered, and snuck out of the room.

She couldn't find Impa in the house anywhere. She found a bowl of fruit, some dried meat, and some water on the table. Pikachu jumped on the table to find a piece of parchment next to the food.

She picked it up:

_I have returned to the Chamber of Sages on Rauru's orders. There is nothing more I can do for Link, but you must stay with him until he wakes up. There is more food in the back of the house. I will continue to watch and support you with the other sages and the four Guardians of Balance. Be strong Lightning Warrior._

_Impa  
><em>  
>Pikachu put down the paper and helped herself to some fruit and meat. She spent every minute of every day at Link's bedside, only leaving to eat or get some food from the store house Impa had told her about in her letter. She talked to him constantly and always slept with him so he wouldn't be afraid in case the poison made him hallucinate again.<p>

She talked about her adventures with the four fairies, all the temples she went through, and even a little about her life in the Pokémon World. She avoided going into town and tried hard not to be seen by the other villagers. After their reaction when she first arrived, she didn't want to chance anyone growing suspicious of her.

But after five days, Link still showed no signs of waking up. He seemed to be moving less, and he looked paler than ever.

Pikachu held his hand as tears stung her eyes,

"Don't die Link; I'll never forgive myself if you leave now," she said.

Her Mark of Lightning began to glow and started to send in power, but it was no use; Link didn't stir.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks,

"You've got to fight Link! I want to help you, but my power isn't working; I don't know what to do!" she cried, "I want to help, but I don't know what to do," she muttered as her Mark of Lightning grew brighter.

She held Link's hand and looked at the ground, her tears dropping to the floor. She could feel his pulse in his wrist getting weaker.

"Please don't die," Pikachu pleaded, "Even though we haven't known each other for very long, you're my best friend, and I would do anything to protect you because….."

Pikachu trailed off before whispering,

"I love you."

Pikachu's Mark of Lightning glowed brighter than ever before. Pikachu looked up as she felt all her feelings for Link were sent into his Triforce of Courage. Link eventually began to glow himself as the fading poison in his cheek disappeared completely and the color began to return to his face.

Finally, the glowing faded. Pikachu watched as Link began to stir. Pikachu stepped onto the bed so she could get closer to Link's face as he slowly began to wake up.

**AN:**

**Oh, and FYI, when she said 'I love you' I did NOT mean 'love' love. I meant love as in the bond between a human and Pokémon. Think Ash and Pikachu 'love', NOT Pikachu and Buneary 'love'.**


	12. The Power of the Heart

Chapter 12

Link felt numb and hot under the thick covers. He felt his senses slowly come back to him as he felt two small hands grip his own. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a small wooden room in a bed, and to his surprise, into the relived black eyes of a familiar yellow mouse.

"Pikachu?" he whispered, his throat scratchy from no water.

Fresh tears of happiness filled Pikachu's eyes,

"You're finally awake!" she cried, "You were asleep for so long, I thought…..maybe….." she trailed off as more tears began to spill from her eyes.

She silently thanked Arceus that Link had also regained his memories of her. Link put his hand on his forehead and slowly sat up. He nearly fell back on the bed as Pikachu jumped into his arms,

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she squealed.

Link gritted his teeth in pain and Pikachu quickly got off his chest,

"Sorry," she said quickly.

Link looked at the small mouse; somehow she seemed different from when they first met; wiser, stronger.

"What happened?" He muttered in a hoarse whisper, "I remember running through the forest and then…. all I remember is darkness." He said.

"You were poisoned Link; you just barely survived." Pikachu said gently, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Where are we?" Link asked, looking around the small room. His voice was finally returning to normal,

"We're in Gerudo Valley; Impa, the Sage of Shadow was able to heal most of the damage you had taken from the poison," Pikachu explained. "Do you remember anything else?"

Link looked at the blankets as he thought. "Well…..I remember feeling pain. It just kept hurting until I couldn't take anymore. Then I remember lightning coming towards me, and I heard your voice telling me to not give up. The lightning hit me and the pain started to go away. My Triforce of Courage began to glow, like the lightning was being absorbed into it. I heard you scream my name….then it was dark again,"

Link paused as he tried to remember more,

"I was just floating in darkness, but I could hear you calling me. So I followed your voice, but it felt like I was getting farther away…but after that, all I remember is a bright light and then waking up."

Pikachu didn't say anything and hugged Link again, but gently as new tears of happiness formed.

"I'm just so….so happy….I wasn't too late to help you."

Link smiled and rubbed her back,

"Thank you," he said softly, "For everything."

Pikachu pulled away and frowned,

"But I don't understand; back on the Sacred Dais I used my power to help you break free from the poison. But when you were in a coma, my raw power alone wouldn't work,"

Pikachu paused,

"But then I thought about how much your safety meant to me, and how much I cared for you even though we haven't known each other for long….."

Pikachu's eyes widened as realization came to her,

"It was my love for you as my friend that cured the poison; not my power!" she exclaimed.

Before Link could ask what she was talking about, another came from nowhere,

"Congratulations Lightning Warrior. You have discovered the true secret to defeating the Dark being that threatens Hyrule."

Four white orbs appeared before them, and four very familiar fairies appeared before them. The fairies seemed to be much brighter and radiant in color and their wings had grown in size to look almost like transparent butterfly wings as well as their bodies. Despite the differences, Link recognized them almost instantly,

"Navi, Tatl, Tael, is that you?" he asked.

"Well…..not really," Pikachu said slowly.

Link looked at Pikachu with a confused look,

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Our true identities have awoken at last," Navi said.

Link noticed the differences in their voices.

"They used to be Navi, Tatl, Tael and Verdo; now they're Navina, Tatliva, Taelron, and Verdojan. They're the four Guardians of Balance." Pikachu explained.

"Who's Verdo?" Link asked.

"Navi's little brother….or should I say Navina's little brother." Pikachu answered and turned to the fairies,

"What did you mean when you said I discovered the secret to beating the Darkness?" she asked.

"The Skull Kid poison that infected Link was infused with a single drop of Dark Magic from the Dark one. Only one drop can take a single life over time if it's taken into the body." Navina explained.

"Back on the Sacred Dais, your raw power of lightning cleansed only the poison, not the darkness." Tatliva added.

"So the Darkness was keeping Link from healing completely?" Pikachu asked.

"Yes; but the darkness disappeared from inside Link when you infused your love with your power. The power of the heart is the weapon you hold that is capable of dispelling the Darkness for good." Taelron answered.

Pikachu nodded and frowned in confusion. While it was great that she knew how to beat the Darkness now, the power of love was the last thing she expected to be the secret.

As if he could read her mind, Verdojan spoke up,

"There is another part of the Legend of the Lightning Warrior that was lost to the ages. It was told that the Lightning Warrior's heart was the source of its power. The three Goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore, had put their complete faith in the Lightning Warrior to stop the Dark one. The Lightning Warrior considered the three goddesses as loyal allies and was willing to put its life on the line to come through for them. According to legend, during the battle, when all seemed lost, the Lightning Warrior infused the faith and loyalty it had for the goddesses with its power and with one final strike, defeated the Darkness." Verdojan explained.

"Now you must use the faith and love in your own heart to stop this evil force. All of Hyrule is counting on you and the Hero of Time." Tatliva said.

The four guardians began to disappear within a white orb,

"The Dark being and the Princess Zelda can be found north of here, at the peak of the mountain known as Skyward Reach. Go with strength and courage and you shall prevail." Taelron said before the orb enveloped them completely.

The light finally faded and they were gone, leaving Link and Pikachu alone once again.


	13. Journey to Skyward Reach

Chapter 13

It was at least a week before Link had all his strength back. He had to stay in bed for a few days while Pikachu brought him food and water.

When he finally had enough strength to walk again, he had to get used to the feel of his sword since he hadn't used it in so long. Pikachu helped him by sparring with him every now and then to help bring back his speed and agility, but she never went easy on him. But Link was tough, and before long, he was back to his old next day, Link put on his tunic and belt and met Pikachu outside the hut.

"Ready?" Pikachu asked.

Link nodded, "Let's go."

He pulled out his horseshoe shaped necklace and blew the small tune into it. There was a whinny, and the chestnut mare ran towards them. Pikachu remembered that the horse's name was Epona. Link mounted the horse and Pikachu followed. Link urged Epona on and they walked through the village until they eventually reached Hyrule field.

"Do you have any idea where Skyward Reach is?" Pikachu asked.

Link shrugged, "I was held captive on Skyward Reach before I escaped. I remember looking over the edge and seeing Kakariko village below me." He said.

Pikachu nodded, "I guess Kakariko village would be a good place to start," she said.

Link nodded and kicked Epona who began to gallop towards the large volcano. In no time they arrived in the small village. Link and Pikachu left Epona near the entrance and walked through the town with Pikachu still on Link's shoulder.

"Where should we even start looking?" Pikachu asked.

"Try to find something that seems out of the ordinary," Link answered.

Pikachu scanned the town from Link's shoulder, but everything seemed completely normal. That is, until she looked up in the sky. High above the Goron Volcano was the peak of a tall mountain with black clouds surrounding the top. Link noticed it too when a soft glow came from Pikachu's paw. Pikachu looked at her Mark of Lightning; she could hear it calling to her, pulling her somewhere.

She jumped off of Link's shoulder and began to walk to where her Mark was taking her. Link followed the mouse until they ended up at an old empty well. Pikachu jumped on the edge and peered down to see a tunnel.

"I think this is how we get to Skyward Reach." She said and jumped down before Link could stop her.

Pikachu took a quick look around as Link climbed down after her. She held up her paw and moved it back and forth like a metal detector. The further she walked into the tunnel, the brighter the light got. Link unsheathed his sword and nodded as they ventured into the tunnel.

The tunnel was long a winding, like an underground maze; but Pikachu's Mark of Lightning made it a lot easier to know where they were going. Link remembered all the times he had to go down here, like when he had to find the Eye of Truth, and it was really hard not to get lost.

They walked through the tunnel, but to their surprise, there were no monsters lying in wait; not even any Keese. They kept walking until they reached a dead end. At first they were confused, but Pikachu's Mark of Lightning and Link's Triforce grew brighter than ever. Both marks appeared on the wall as one, like the mark on the Sacred Dais. The wall then split down the middle and slowly opened, revealing a staircase leading up.

Pikachu bounded in first and looked around for any enemies, when Link spotted a familiar shadow hovering over Pikachu. Link thought he was just seeing things, until the shadow got bigger and bigger.

Link's eyes widened, "Pikachu! MOVE!" he cried and shoved her out of the way.

Pikachu slammed against the stairs and whirled around just in time to see an enormous hand come down from the ceiling and grab Link's face. It was like a scene straight out of a horror movie and Pikachu was petrified. Link's muffled cries as the hand began to lift him up snapped her back to reality. Pikachu jumped onto the hand and shuddered as she touched its bony, scaly skin.

She powered up her Iron Tail, "Get your hands…uh…hand…um…fingers off him!" she cried and slammed her tail into the monster.

The hand dropped Link and Pikachu immediately hit it with a Thunderbolt. The monster and Pikachu fell to the ground and the hand disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Pikachu ran over to Link, who was gasping for breath, "Are you okay?" she asked frantically.

"I'm fine," Link gasped nodding.

Pikachu's ears sagged, "I'm sorry, I should've taken a better look around before running in here."

Link pet her, "Don't blame yourself, even I can't tell when one of those Wallmasters are around sometimes." He reassured her.

Pikachu smiled as sunlight appeared from the top of the staircase. Link got up and the two walked slowly up the stairs. They entered a white light that enveloped them, so bright that they had to shut their eyes so they wouldn't be blinded.

Pikachu opened one eye ever so slightly and noticed that Link seemed to be disappearing. She tried to call out, but a flash of light came towards her; and soon she was floating in nothingness.

She opened her eyes and saw the silhouette of someone, "Who are you?" Pikachu asked.

The figure began to take clearer shape and took the form of a young girl with emerald eyes and green hair; in fact, she was in all green.

"I am Saria, the Sage of Forest; I bring a message from Rauru." She said.

Pikachu's eyes widened as she remembered seeing a particularly small Sage when she first entered the Chamber of Sages.

"I have come to inform you that your time here is nearly at an end," Saria said.

"What do you mean?" Pikachu asked.

"Your spirit was teleported here when you first entered this world through the Chamber of Sages, leaving your body behind in a comatose state. Once the Darkness has been defeated, you will immediately be brought back to your body. The other Sages have managed to keep your body stable, but it won't last much longer; you must be careful." Saria explained.

Sadness and fear rose in Pikachu's chest; if she left… "But then…Link…and Zelda…" Pikachu said slowly, looking at the ground.

Saria nodded sadly, "I know how hard it is to say good-bye to a friend; but not everything can be what we want it to be. You have your own world with friends and family waiting for you…I'm sorry, but you cannot stay for good." Saria said.

Tears came to Pikachu's eyes as she remembered all her friends back in the Pokémon world; she wiped her eyes and she remembered another thing Saria said,

"What did you mean when you said I had to be careful?" she asked.

"Because the power the Sages have over your body is weakening, your spirit form is also weaker. You can still fight to your full capacity, but if you get gravely injured, you will go back to your body whether the Darkness is defeated or not." Saria explained.

Pikachu's eyes widened as Saria began to disappear,

"Good luck…Lightning Warrior…" Saria whispered as another flash of light blinded Pikachu.

When the light faded, Pikachu opened her eyes to find Link and herself on what looked like a mountain path.

Link's eyes widened as he remembered something, "I've been here before," he said and walked over to a tree, "When I was trying to get down from the mountain, the poison was starting to affect me more and I sat against this tree…but I don't remember anything else after that." He explained.

'He must've started hallucinating by then,' Pikachu thought.

Her mind was still swirling with what Saria had told her. Was this really it? Would she really have to say good-bye to Link and Zelda once this was all over?

"Pikachu?" Link asked. Pikachu's head snapped up.

"C'mon, the place where I was held isn't too far from here," Link said as he started up the mountain path.

Pikachu nodded and trotted after him. 'This is my last adventure…with Link…soon… I'll have to…leave him forever…' she thought.

A single tear fell down her cheek as she looked ahead at the mountain path. She couldn't get depressed now; the fate of Hyrule was resting with her and Link. She had come so far and learned so much, and now it was time to put it all to the test.

The final battle against the Darkness was soon to come.

**AN: OMFG FINALLY! This one was a little on the short side, but at least it's SOMETHING! Next chappie we should be getting around to the final boss fight...and yeah, Pikachu's leaving is kinda why this story is a tragedy...but you'll see.**

**I freakin' HATE Wallmasters! They scared the crap out of me when I played OoT! **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and I'll try to update this faster in the future so I can finish this up!**


	14. Pikachu's Choice

Chapter 14

It wasn't long before Link and Pikachu reached the sandstone temple. The clouds swirling around the top had grown a lot bigger and were crackling with electricity. There were no minions outside, leaving the front door unguarded. Link and Pikachu wanted to jump at this golden opportunity to run in and look for Zelda, but they couldn't risk being ambushed.

They snuck up to the door and pressed themselves against the wall. Link peeked inside ever so slightly and saw that the coast was clear. He nodded to Pikachu and they entered the temple, only to have the large doors slam shut behind them. A long, red-carpeted hallway lay ahead of them with a curving staircase at the back. It reminded Link a little too much of Ganondorf's castle.

They ran through the hallway and bounded up the stairs, Link slashing any Fire Keese that got in their way. They ran up the winding staircase that seemed to have no end, until they finally came to an open doorway.

They both skidded to a stop just outside the door. The room was round with another door leading out opposite of where they stood. Metal bars blocked the way indicating that they were going to have to face a challenge in order to open it. They slowly walked inside to the middle of the room.

All was quiet until a cloud of inky blackness appeared in front of them. The cloud created a large burly figure with evil yellow eyes, "You have done well to get this far," he said in a gruff voice,

"But I'm afraid your journey ends here," he said; with that he lifted his hand.

Pikachu and Link got ready to fight, but Pikachu felt that something was wrong. She looked down and saw herself begin lifted into the air. She instinctively struggled and flailed but it was no use. The cloud figure pointed to the door and Pikachu felt herself being thrown back and out the door.

Link ran towards her and Pikachu sprang to her feet and tried to run back inside, but she slammed into something hard and invisible. She bounced backwards and shook her head from the blow; Link look confused as well. Pikachu slowly walked up to the door way and held out her paw only to touch an invisible barrier. Fear and panic filled her mind as she tried to find a way back to Link who was still trapped in the room.

The cloud figure disappeared, leaving behind three Stalfos and one Stalmaster ready to fight. Link drew his sword and shield and got into a fighting stance, much to Pikachu's horror. There was no way Link could fight all those monsters without getting hurt. She pounded on the invisible barrier as Link and his opponents moved in a slow circle. Link slashed at every opening he could find, but he could tell that this was gonna take a while.

Pikachu growled in frustration as the barrier refused to budge. She took a few steps back before launching a Thunderbolt. The lightning hit the barrier without leaving a scratch. She tried again, only added more power; again, nothing. Pikachu gritted her teeth and unleashed her Thunder, but she got the same result.

Pikachu watched as Link managed to literally disarm one of the Stalfos, but they were still coming.

Special attacks weren't going to help here; she was going have to go with Physical attacks. She backed up a little and ran towards it. She leapt into the air as her tail became iron and slammed it into the barrier. She bounced off and landed awkwardly, her tail shaking from the impact. Pikachu backed up again and powered up her Skull Bash to maximum power.

Pikachu watched as Link finally defeated one of the Stalfos and another seemed close to collapsing, but the other two were still raring to go.

Pikachu released her Skull Bash and slammed right into the barrier. She felt major impact from the attempt and lay stunned on the ground for a minute before pulling herself together.

She checked on how Link was doing and saw the second Stalfos fall to the ground while Link slashed quickly at the next one. However, this one was ready; it expertly blocked Link's blow before kicking him to the ground. Link looked up as the last Stalfos raised its blades, but Link cut its legs at the last minute, causing it to crumple to the ground, defeated.

The Stalmaster raised his axe to strike, but Link blocked it with his shield. Link then felt the handle of one of the monsters many blades strike his head. His vision blurred as his grip on his sword and shield loosened allowing the Stalmaster to kick them away and out of reach.

Pikachu knew she had to act now. She backed up and got ready to try her Volt Tackle. She remembered what Verdojan had told her; love was the key to defeating the Darkness. Pikachu closed her eyes and focused on the love she had for Link and Zelda; she thought about how kind they were and how they had helped her, even though their time together was short. Pikachu's Mark of Lightning began to glow as she felt electricity flow throughout her entire body.

Pikachu took off like a rocket, electricity surrounding her body. The Stalmaster raised his axe to deliver a finishing blow, when a loud boom was heard as Pikachu shattered the barrier.

Pikachu ran towards the Stalmaster with Volt Tackle still in full power and slammed right into him, making him shatter and fall to the ground. The electricity around Pikachu faded as she panted while the piles of bones left from the enemies exploded into dust.

Link got to his feet and picked up his sword and shield as the cage on the closed door lifted and opened revealing another winding staircase. They ran up the stairs that seemed to last even longer than the first one. Pikachu could tell that Link was pretty worn out from the previous fight, so she would have to keep a closer eye on him.

They eventually came to another round room. Only this one was much bigger. A large throne stood in the back of the room where a large and familiar man was sitting with an inky black aura around him, his yellow eyes glowing with hatred and he was smiling evilly.

"Ganondorf," Link muttered under his breath.

Pikachu's ears perked up; so this was Ganondorf, the evil man who once tried to take over Hyrule, and who was now influenced by the Darkness. Something caught Pikachu's eye; she looked high above the throne where a diamond shaped capsule was floating.

Inside was an unconscious girl, "Zelda," Pikachu whispered.

Link followed her gaze and his eyes widened as they fell on the princess. Pikachu looked at her paw as the Mark of Lightning began to glow, along with Link's Triforce of Courage and the other Triforce pieces. Ganondorf stood up,

"It seems that the Triforce wants to be whole again with the power of Lightning." He said.

He held up the back of his hand to reveal the glowing Triforce of Power, "The ritual is almost complete; I have acquired both the elements of Power and Wisdom," he said looking at where Zelda was contained. "I only need one more element before I begin; so let's not make things difficult."

Pikachu's eyes widened as a shiver ran down her spine. She stepped forward bravely, "If you want Link, you'll have to go through me," she growled.

Ganondorf smiled, "Very well," he raised his hand and a stream of darkness came out of it. It slammed Pikachu out of the way and began wrapping around Link's entire body. Link struggled but it was no use; the dark binds tightened causing Link to cry out in pain.

The end of the dark rope attached itself to the back of Link's left hand. Link's eyes widened as he felt power being ripped out of him. Pikachu was too stunned from the blow, so all she could do was watch as the Triforce of Courage slowly became dimmer until hardly any light was left. Link's body fell limp and the dark ropes carried him up next to Zelda.

"Link!" Pikachu cried as she got to her feet.

Ganondorf laughed, "Finally, now I can rid myself of this vessel and have a being of my own!" The floor around him lit up in a large circle covered in strange designs.

Ganondorf stepped up to the edge, "Of course, I need a power source strong enough for it to work…the Power of Lightning to be specific," he said.

Pikachu's eyes widened, "There's no way I'd help you!" she yelled.

"I would be careful about what you say little one, because if you refuse…" Ganondorf held up his hand and thin streams of darkness came from his finger tips. All the streams flew up and surrounded the unconscious Link and Zelda, the sharp ends aiming at the humans.

"All I have to do is close my hand…and your precious friends will be wiped from Hyrule," he finished.

Pikachu felt panic tear at her heart, she never thought she would have to make a decision like this.

"What will it be? Lose all of Hyrule, or lose your two friends?" he asked, his voice dripping with poison.

Pikachu clenched her paws into fists and looked up at her friends. She could hear them crying out in pain as the power from their Triforce was slowly draining away. She closed her eyes and looked away, gritting her teeth. How could she make a choice like that? How could she choose a whole world over her friends?

If she helped him, then everyone she knew would cease to exist; The Great Deku Tree, Rauru, the fairies, the Zoras, the Gorons, Impa, Saria, everyone. But if she let Link and Zelda die, how could she forgive herself? She had vowed that she would protect them at any cost…what could she do?

Tears began to dot her eyes as she felt the decision was tearing her in half. She couldn't choose; it was impossible, there was no right answer, right? Either way, she would lose someone precious to her.

Hyrule was an entire world full of innocent people and creatures, but Link and Zelda meant the world to Pikachu. What could she do? What could she do? Pikachu's arms fell limply by her side.

She lowered her head and her ears drooped, "Alright…" she murmured. Ganondorf smiled evilly as she walked towards the center of the glowing circle.

Tears began to flow down her cheeks as her Mark of Lightning began to glow. She closed her eyes, "Link…Zelda…I'm so sorry…" she whispered.

She let out a cry and blasted a large bolt of lightning into the air above her.


	15. The Final Battle for Hyrule

**Oh my god FINALLY! Thanks to a little Skyward Sword this chappie is finally up! It's time for the final boss fight! W00T!**

**Quick recap: Pikachu and Link arrived where the Darkness (who possessed Ganondorf's body) was waiting and holding Zelda. The Darkness then held both Link and Zelda hostage and forced Pikachu to complete the ritual that would give him his own body to fight in. Will Pikachu be able to defeat this evil foe and save Hyrule?**

* * *

><p>Chapter 15<p>

The lightning blast from her body shot upwards to the heavens as the glowing circle radiated with energy. The three Triforce pieces glowed brightly as Ganondorf stepped inside the circle in front of Pikachu. More dark clouds formed outside the temple as red lightning flashed through the sky.

Link stirred and his eyes fluttered open before taking in all the chaos that was going on. He watched as the lightning from Pikachu's body grew stronger until it finally stopped, leaving the mouse panting heavily, her Mark of Lightning fading. He then realized what had happened. He tried to break free from the shadowy restraints, but he felt too weak.

An enormous lightning bolt then struck down onto Ganondorf's body. Ganondorf absorbed all the electricity as black clouds came from all around his body. "No!" Link cried as Ganondorf's body exploded into nothing leaving a huge black cloud that slowly but surely formed another body.

The lightning finally faded and Pikachu fell forwards, exhausted from the sudden energy drain. She lifted her head to see a figure in front of her. The figure lifted his head and Pikachu's eyes widened in terror.

He was tall and thin with a pure black cape and armor that covered every square inch of his body. He wielded a long thin blade that crackled with the power of Pikachu's lightning and wore a knight helmet that had a small opening for the face to be seen; but there was none. Only two piercing red eyes could be seen inside the helmet that hungered for blood and torture. Tears of fear and guilt pricked at Pikachu's eyes; what had she created? What had she done?

"I give you my gratitude Lightning Warrior," The Darkness said with a scratchy but deep voice, "I shall keep my end of the bargain," he said and lifted his arm into the air.

Pikachu watched as Link and Zelda slowly floated down in front of her before dropping them to the ground. Link opened his eyes and crawled towards Pikachu. He reached out his hand towards her; Pikachu grasped it with both paws and her tears burst forth,

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she whispered, "I had no choice! I couldn't let you die! I just couldn't!"

Link placed his other hand on her head, causing her to look at his deep blue eyes, "It's alright," Link said, "To tell the truth, I would've done the same thing."

"Really?" Pikachu asked.

"Of course," Link said nodding, "Don't beat yourself down for doing what you thought was right; we still have a chance to save Hyrule."

Pikachu's ears perked up in determination; hope wasn't lost. They could still save Hyrule if they worked together. Zelda's eyes fluttered open and Link and Pikachu went to her side. "Zelda," Pikachu said softly as she began to sit up.

"Are you alright Princess?" Link asked. Zelda nodded but looked up as the Darkness wielded his sword, "Well now, I think it's time to put an end to your pathetic little lives; I have a kingdom to take over." He said.

Pikachu and Link got up and into a fighting stance, "We'll never let you take Hyrule," Link said fiercely; Darkness raised his sword, "So be it; if you wish to throw your lives away then who am I to stop you." He said.

Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks as she and Link carefully eyed their opponent. The fighters circled each other slowly watching for any slight movement; after a while, Darkness calmly came towards them and raised his sword to strike. The sword swing was like a blur; after a split second Pikachu and Link were knocked to the ground.

The Darkness came towards them again and Pikachu unleashed her Double Team, surrounding their foe with as many clones as she could. This managed to buy enough time for Link to get up, but Darkness found out quickly how to rid himself of the clones. He held his sword to the sky and a thin black aura surrounded it. He lowered the sword and gave it a swing; a huge black wave erupted from the swords and wiped out all the clones in a single motion.

Link was able to avoid it, but Pikachu wasn't so lucky. "Pikachu!" Link cried as she flew across the floor,

"I'm fine, just keep fighting!" she yelled back and attempted to get to her feet.

Link nodded and charged towards Darkness; he managed to land a few hits until he blocked it with his own sword. Link and Darkness pushed their blades together against one another trying to prevail, and Pikachu saw her chance. Using Agility, she quickly got behind Darkness and launched a powerful Thunderbolt.

Darkness let out a cry of pain and fell to his knees; Link took this opportunity to attack, but Darkness wasn't going down without a fight. He held up his palm and grabbed the blade easily; Link's eyes widened as he tried to get his sword out of his tight hold. Pikachu rushed in to attack, but Darkness lashed out his other hand and a shadowy pulse came out of it, slamming Pikachu into the wall.

Darkness then thrust his fist into Link's mid section; Link's eyes widened as he flew to the ground with a crash, coughing up a few drops of blood in the process. Link tried to get up; ignoring the searing pain in his ribs, and using his sword to steady himself, but Darkness was over him in an instant. Darkness raised his foot and stomped on Link's chest, pressing him further into the ground causing the warrior to cry out in pain.

Both Zelda and Pikachu rushed in to help, but they were stopped by a black barrier. Pikachu pounded and threw every attack she could think of at the shield but it was no use. She thought about her friendship with Link and Zelda, but not even her Volt Tackle could penetrate it.

Darkness saw her despair and decided to step it up a notch; he raised his finger and pointed at Zelda causing another stream of shadow to come out. It wrapped around Zelda and brought her into the barrier near to where Link was lying.

Tears of frustration and fear came to Pikachu's eyes as Darkness raised his sword. The shadow holding Zelda threw her down next to Link, "Now Lightning Warrior… watch as I destroy that which you hold dear," he said, every word dripping with venom.

Tears cascaded down the mouse's face as she held her head and looked to the ground; this couldn't be it! She couldn't have failed; how could she let this happen?!

_'No…'_ she thought,_ 'This can't be right! This can't be happening!'_

She gave the barrier one more weak pound with both her fists,_ 'I swore to protect them with my life didn't I?! Why? Why couldn't I save them?!' _

Quiet sobs began to wrack her small body as flashes of the events taking place flew through her mind,_ 'What kind of friend am I…?'_

Her paws limply fell to her side,_ 'I'm no hero…I can't even save the ones I care about!' _

She clenched her paws into fists and looked at her Mark of Lightning,_ 'Why? Why did you choose me Lightning Warrior?! I'm just an ordinary Pokémon! Why choose me to be your descendant?! WHY?! TELL ME!'_ she faced the sky and let out a cry of pure anger and sorrow as her mind entered oblivion.

* * *

><p>She was in a large white space, floating in nothingness. <strong>"The time has come…"<strong> A voice said. Pikachu looked around, but no one was in sight, **"The time has come…to awaken your true power."** The voice said again.

"But how?" Pikachu asked, "I failed; I can't even protect the ones I care about most, let alone an entire kingdom," she said looking at her feet.

**"You have not failed Lightning Warrior…you still have the power to defeat this evil…your true power,"**

Pikachu lifted her head, "True…power?" she asked.

**"This power has been sleeping within you ever since your birth; it will lie dormant until you yourself awaken it," **

"But…all my attacks hardly did anything…I thought about my friendship with Link and everything…what more can I possible do?" Pikachu asked.

**"You didn't get this far in your journey just because of Link and Princess Zelda…"**

Pikachu's eyes widened as all her memories of her adventures flashed before her. All the images of everyone she had met…The Great Deku Tree, Rauru, Navi, Tatl, Tael, Verdo, Impa, King Zora…all were there. Pikachu then remembered all the kind people who helped her; without them, she would've died a long time ago.

** "I chose you…because your heart opens up to anyone you consider a friend…you gained more strength than ever before by meeting them and earning their trust…just as I did." **

Pikachu turned around, "Then…that's means…you're…" she trailed off as figure composed entirely of lightning stood before her,

**"Yes…I am the Lightning Warrior…" **

Pikachu couldn't see the figure clearly due to all the lightning flashes as her Mark of Lightning began to glow, as well as the same mark on the Lightning Warrior's hand. **"The key to defeat the Darkness is to awaken the power that rests within you…you must then infuse your own power to Courage and Wisdom and the Darkness will fall,"** Lightning Warrior said as it began to fade away along with the white area Pikachu was in,

"Wait! How do I awaken this power?!" she screamed desperately. Lightning Warrior extended a hand and placed it over Pikachu's heart,

**"Remember…"** it said.

* * *

><p>The word echoed in Pikachu's mind as she came back to present time. It was as if time had stood still as Darkness still had his sword raised above Link and Zelda. Pikachu raised her head and clenched her fists, "I won't let you hurt them," she said, causing Darkness to pause.<p>

Intense sparks flew from her cheeks as memories of all her friends flooded into her mind, "You're wrong if you think I'd give up that easily," She felt her heart expand as lightning surrounded her body; she looked at Darkness with pure rage and courage in her eyes,

"And I'm going to make sure you never threaten any of my friends. Ever. Again!" she yelled as the lightning intensified and her Mark of Lightning began to glow brighter than ever.

She remembered the comfort given by the Great Deku Tree when she felt alone after Link and Zelda were captured...

She remembered the advice and encouragement of Navi, Tatl, Tael, and Verdo in all the dungeons and challenges she conquered...

She remembered Impa's kindness when Link was on death's door…

Pikachu raised her paw holding the Mark of Lightning into the air, **_"Lightning Warrior...Navi, Tatl, Tael, Verdo…all the Sages…and every being in Hyrule…please lend me the strength to unleash my power…the power…TO DISPELL THE DARKNESS!"_ **

Pikachu let out a cry as an explosion of lightning crashed onto her. A wave of electricity erupted through the entire room, shattering the barrier and sending Darkness back away from Link and Zelda. The two humans slowly got up and watched in awe as Pikachu's eyes turned to pure yellow as electricity crackled through her fur and all around her…it was as if she was made entirely of lightning,

"The Lightning Warrior…" Zelda whispered.

Darkness got to his feet and stared at the mouse, "How is this possible…?" he wondered.

Pikachu faced Link and Zelda, "Link…Zelda…if we are to prevail in this battle I need to infuse my power with yours," she stepped towards them, "Link, your Master Sword…and Zelda, your Light Arrows," she said.

The two complied and held them out. Pikachu then raised her paws and lightning came from the sky and struck the two weapons, "Now accept…the power of Lightning!" Pikachu said as the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom began to glow.

Link and Zelda examined their weapons that were now crackling with electricity. Darkness limped towards them, his eyes full of rage, "I will not allow myself to be defeated again…not by this rodent!" he spat.

He raised both his palms as a dark energy began to form between them, "NOW DIE!" he screamed as an enormous beam of dark energy shot towards them.

Pikachu gritted her teeth and launched the most powerful Thunder that no electric Pokémon had ever done. The lightning collided with the darkness as they held in the middle. Zelda felt her Triforce of Wisdom resonate and she knew that now was the time to attack.

She quickly loaded her bow and ran behind Darkness before releasing the lightning arrow. The arrow collided into his back causing his to screech in pain and fall to his knees.

Pikachu took this opportunity to immediately go into a Volt Tackle. She ran so fast that she left the floor black as coal. She collided with him head-on as he flew through the air and landed on his back.

Link knew that it was time to end this battle; he griped the Master sword and jumped above Darkness. He let out a cry as he plunged the sword into the heart of the Darkness. Lightning flashed everywhere as Darkness screamed while the lightning coursed through him. Pikachu's eyes returned to normal and the lightning faded as The Darkness dissolved into black dust.

Link got to his feet and went towards Zelda to make sure she was alright. Pikachu sat down and let out a sigh; it was finally over. She smiled as the dark clouds surrounding the castle dissipated and sunlight streamed through the windows.

Pikachu smiled brightly... until her ears twitched.

She looked towards the black dust as it began to rise into the air. She got to her feet as it eventually formed two black arrows…and they were aimed for Link and Zelda!

Pikachu didn't have time to think as she ran towards them. Link and Zelda looked just in time to see the arrows flying towards them.

Time seemed to stand still as Pikachu leapt in front of them...

Pikachu jerked backward and her breath hitched before falling to the ground.

Link felt his heart stop; crimson liquid began to fall on the floor as the two black arrows remained pierced in her front.

"PIKACHU!"

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><p><strong>I am pure evil...but this is the last cliffie I promise! There's only one more chapter now so just hang on!<strong>

**Will Pikachu live? Review if you want to find out!**


	16. We Shall Meet Again

**Well...this is it. I feel very accomplished if ya know what I mean.**

**I hope you enjoy this final chapter of The Lightning Warrior!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 16<p>

Link and Zelda knelt next to the bleeding mouse and Link carefully picked her up. "Hang on…just hang on," Link said as he carefully pulled the arrows out of her body. Pikachu flinched and coughed as the arrows were removed before they dissolved into black dust again.

Pikachu gave them a weak smile, "I'm…so glad…you aren't hurt," she said weakly.

"Why…? How could be so…so reckless?" Link asked, feeling tears dot his eyes.

"I promised…that I would protect you…" she said as tears began to come to her eyes, "Besides…I wasn't going to be here much longer anyway."

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked.

Pikachu took a deep breath as she tried to ignore the pain, "Saria…the Sage of Forest told me…that the Sages transported my spirit here, leaving my real body in my world…their power to keep me stable was weakening…so when the Darkness was defeated…or if I got mortally wounded…I would go back to my body…and leave…"

Tears began to fall down her face as she coughed blood from her mouth and she looked up at the ceiling, "I'm sorry…I didn't tell you sooner…I guess…I just didn't want…to say good-bye."

Link felt his own tears begin to fall, "You…you can't leave…not after everything you've done for us!" Link said desperately.

Zelda's eyes were also glazed over as she placed a hand on Pikachu's head, "You have proven yourself as a true warrior; couldn't you stay?" she asked.

Pikachu's eyes became half-lidded as she felt her consciousness slowly slip away, "I'm sorry… I have a life in my world… with friends and family waiting for me…but…I'm sure that someday…we'll meet again," Pikachu answered.

Zelda moved her hand to Pikachu's cheek and the mouse took Link's hand firmly. "Pikachu…you're the greatest friend I could ever ask for," Link said shakily.

"So are you…" Pikachu responded as her eyes began to grow dull. Her vision began to go white and she knew that her time had come.

She looked at her two friends, drew one more breath and whispered, "Good-bye Link…Zelda…I…love…you…"

Her eyes closed and her paws fell from Link's hand. Link finally allowed sobs to rack his body as he held his fallen comrade to his chest, her blood staining his tunic.

Zelda and Link wept over Pikachu until her body began to glow. They held up their hands bearing the Triforce; it was time to let go.

They placed Pikachu's body in the middle of the room. They held up the Triforce as the area around Pikachu began to glow as well as Pikachu's Mark of Lightning. The light grew brighter as Pikachu's body slowly dissolved away.

Finally, the light faded and Link and Zelda were left alone in the room. Link and Zelda looked at their Triforce and their eyes widened; in the middle of the Triforce was Pikachu's Mark of Lightning.

They smiled and looked up towards the sky, "Good-bye Pikachu," Link said.

"We shall meet again…Lightning Warrior," Zelda said as the sun shone over them and all of Hyrule.

The kingdom was safe once again.

* * *

><p>Pikachu felt a pain in her chest as she slowly came back to consciousness. She let out a small moan and opened her eyes to a bright light. Her eyes adjusted to reveal the morning sun streaming through a window. She realized she was lying down on a bed in a familiar place; she stretched from her cramped position before sitting up and taking in her surroundings.<p>

She was back in her room; she sprang to the window and looked out to see a flock of Pidgey flying through the air.

She was back home…back in the Pokémon World.

After all her time in Hyrule, it seemed like forever since she had been here. She felt a lump come to her throat as she remembered Link and Zelda; she looked at her Mark Lightning causing her to gasp slightly. Her Mark of Lightning was now surrounded by the Triforce; she felt new power flow through her body. Something told her that she needed to undergo some training before battling again to control this new power of hers.

Pikachu looked up at the sky and smiled; deep down she knew that somehow…someday…she would see her beloved friends again.

"Pikachu?" a voice asked. Pikachu turned around to see Riolu standing in the doorway with wide eyes that were brimming with disbelief and happiness; he looked exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days.

Riolu smiled widely before bounding over and hugging Pikachu tighter than ever before as tears of happiness fell from his eyes, "You finally woke up! I'm so glad! You were asleep for so long that I…I thought…" he trailed off as Pikachu hugged him back.

How long had it been since she had seen her closest friend? "I'm sorry I worried you," she said.

They hugged for a while longer until they broke apart and headed for the door, "C'mon; everyone's been so worried!" Riolu said as Pikachu followed him out the door.

Pikachu smiled; she wasn't sure how she was going to explain where she had been all this time or if they would even believe her, but for now, she had her own life to continue.

She looked at her new Mark of Lightning; something told her that her life was just beginning…

* * *

><p><strong>I know it was a little short but...<strong>

**Thank you for following me on this great adventure! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Quick note: I'm thinking that I may do a sequel to this. I have a good idea for the plot but I'm not sure what to do, and that's where you come in.**

**I'm thinking of placing Pikachu in another universe to have a new adventure, but I'm not sure which one...if you want to see Pikachu in a certain anime or video game universe for more action and adventure, leave a review or PM me with your suggestion or if you have your own idea for a sequel!**

**Just in case you want moar! :3**

**Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed 'The Lightning Warrior'!**

**Remember to review! See ya on my other stories! :D**


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